| The Iran Press slant on it all... |
Lebanese army has continued pounding the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian camp, where the fighting traps an estimated 6000 refugees. The army has surronded the al-Qaeda-linked Fatah al-Islam militants in the camp and confirms that it has lost six soldiers in the past 36 hours of this fierce fighting. "The battles will continue until we put an end to the phenomenon of Fatah al-Islam," an army spokesman said, adding, "The only choice for the gunmen is to give themselves up."
According to UN figures 25,000 residents of the camp have fled, but an estimated 6,000 are still trapped inside. The 13-day confrontation between troops and militants has killed more than 100 people, many of them civilians. Aid agencies have voiced fears for the safety of civilians, as artillery fire targets the camp. The International Committee of the Red Cross called on all parties not to target civilians inside the camp, where there is desperate shortage of water, food and power.
| Sheikh Mohammad al-Hajj called for a halt to the shelling, saying "We cannot negotiate with Fatah al-Islam under the bombardments." |
Sheikh Mohammad al-Hajj, a member of delegation of Palestinian clerics attempting to broker a negotiated solution, called for a halt to the shelling, saying "We cannot negotiate with Fatah al-Islam under the bombardments."
Meanwhile the United States voiced strong backing for the army operation. "The Lebanese government is doing what it needs to in order to fight against a very dangerous terrorist group, and to bring law and order throughout the country," US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.
| Some analysts believe the Fatah al-Islam group was formed by certain pro-government political parties in Lebanon and was directly funded by the United States in a bid to weaken the Lebanese Hezbollah movement and to provoke discord between Shias and Sunnis. |
Some analysts believe the Fatah al-Islam group was formed by certain pro-government political parties in Lebanon and was directly funded by the United States in a bid to weaken the Lebanese Hezbollah movement and to provoke discord between Shias and Sunnis. Opposition groups in Lebanon have called for an immediate ceasefire and said the standoff should be resolved through a security, political and judicial settlement. They have warned Lebanon's pro-western government that any assault on the camp threatens peace and security in the country. |