In what was the most under-reported story of the summer.
One of the things that got me so steamed and made me bail last month.
This has gotten no coverage, probably because WE ARE FUNDING and SUPPLYING Fatah al-Islam!!!
"Lebanese army crushes militants at camp" by Hussein Dakroub/Associated Press September 2, 2007
MOHAMMARA, Lebanon --Lebanon's army crushed the last remnants of a militant group in a ferocious gun battle Sunday that killed 39 of the fighters, ending a bloody three-month siege at a Palestinian refugee camp that was the country's worst internal violence in years.
Nearby villages celebrated with fireworks, drumming and dancing after the government declared victory. The Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam fighters made their last stand by trying to stage a dawn breakout from the Nahr el-Bared camp, triggering the final gunbattles.
The militants sneaked out through a tunnel to an area of the camp under army control and fought with troops. At the same time, another group of militants struck elsewhere to try to escape. They were aided by outside fighters arriving in cars, said security officials and state-run television.
Troop reinforcements deployed close to the camp on Lebanon's northern Mediterranean coastline. They blocked roads to prevent fighters from sneaking out, residents said. Helicopters provided aerial reconnaissance, and checkpoints were erected as far as Beirut and southern Lebanon.
Troops hunted the militants down in buildings, fields and roads around the camp, residents said, and the army launched dragnets to capture any still at large.
Residents of nearby villages, armed with guns and sticks, fanned out to protect their houses and prevent the fighters from seeking refuge and melting into the local population, state TV reported. Smoke billowed from fields where the army set fires to deny militants a hiding place.
Officials said the army killed 39 militants and captured at least 15 others. It was not immediately known how many militants managed to escape. By late afternoon, only the occasional gunfire and could be heard from Nahr el-Bared.
The army said three soldiers were killed in Sunday's fighting and two on Saturday, raising to 158 the number of troops who have died in the conflict -- More than 20 civilians and more than 60 militants have also been killed.
Fatah Islam set up its headquarters at the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp last fall.
[Yeah, and they were PASSING OUT DOLLARS, too!]
The siege at Nahr el-Bared began May 20 when police raided militants' hideouts in the nearby city of Tripoli.
[Allegedly over a bank robbery(?). All this over a bank robbery?]
Fighters burst out of the nearby refugee camp, ambushing army troops called in to help. The army then laid siege to the camp with tanks and artillery."
[Then why was it kept so quiet over the summer, and why a big deal now?
Times even put a picture up on page one (after hardly covering it all summer)!]
"Militants Are Driven From Refugee Camp" by NADA BAKRI
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 2 — The Lebanese Army wrested a Palestinian refugee camp from the control of Islamic militants on Sunday, ending three months of fierce fighting that took more than 300 lives and transfixed Lebanon.
[Then how come it has hardly been in your news pages, Times? Pfffftttt!!]
The surprise end to the camp standoff came when about 70 militants tried to escape at dawn Sunday. As they neared army positions, soldiers fired on them, killing at least 31, including the group’s leader, Shakir al-Abssi, and capturing 32, the army said. Five soldiers were killed in the gunfire.
The camp, Nahr al Bared, had been home to 30,000 people, most of whom fled when the conflict started at the end of May. On Sunday, the state-run National News Agency reported that soldiers patrolled the empty camp, much of which had been leveled by army bombs, as helicopters searched for any remaining militants.
It was unclear why the group, Fatah al Islam, made up of radical Sunnis inspired by Al Qaeda, chose Sunday to attempt its breakout. But the army had tightened its grip on the camp recently and ratcheted up its bombings over the past week, after family members of the fighters were permitted to leave. The remaining fighters were thought to be running out of ammunition and food.
The militants’ failed last stand has burnished the image of the army, which is viewed by Lebanese across the political spectrum as the only institution in the country that represents the state, not individual factions.
[Hmmmm! CUI BONO, reader?]
Despite the prolonged fighting and deaths on both sides, the army has won widespread praise and support for its restraint in a nation that has seen its share of violent clashes.
[They FLATTENED the PLACE with THREE MONTHS of SHELLING!!!
That's "restraint?"]
The army’s commander in chief, Gen. Michel Suleiman, has emerged as a national hero and potential force ahead of presidential elections in three weeks. The country remains deeply divided between a pro-Western government and the Hezbollah-led opposition, supported by Iran and Syria, and analysts said General Suleiman could emerge as a compromise presidential candidate.
[A-Ha! And STEAL the election from the Christian General Aoun, who is now aligned with Hezbollah, and should win a fair election.
So sick of horseshit elections and leaders covered, while the Times and others ignore or omit real truths!]
Talal Atrissi, a political sociology professor at the Lebanese University:
“This victory reflects positively on the army and its commander in chief. His chances to become a compromise candidate have now increased.”
[So this whole operation or event BENEFITED the MILITARY, huh?
I smelling a stink, folks!]
Banners and posters saluting the army have decorated Lebanese streets for the past several months. On Facebook, the online social network, Lebanese have created groups of army supporters. Banks have designed new credit cards with camouflage colors.
As news from the camp spread Sunday, Lebanese from different political backgrounds, including those allied to Hezbollah, took to the streets across the country in celebration. Television programs showed residents in northern cities near the camp waving Lebanese flags and throwing rice at soldiers who were flashing victory signs as their convoys arrived.
Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut:
“The army is emerging as the guardian of the state of Lebanon. Politicians have failed, therefore the army is the only institution capable of shoring the country toward peace.”
[Gonna be MARTIAL LAW there, too, huh?
Declared by the dictator Sianora, huh?
Yeah, that army sure did a good job last summer as Israel razed Lebanon and littered it with cluster bombs!]
The camp siege began on May 20, when Fatah al Islam fighters who had taken control of the camp attacked nearby army checkpoints, killing 22 soldiers. At least 120 militants and 42 civilians have been killed in the conflict, as well as 157 soldiers, including the five on Sunday.
[Gee, those are a larger number of fatalities than the AP report. WTF?]
Before the clashes began, military officials had said up to 70 militants remained in the camp, down from an estimated 360 when the conflict began.
An army official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media:
“The army took full control of the camp. We are now clearing the area and searching for militants who managed to escape.”
[Did I also mention that the army kept reporters away from the fighting.
That probably accounts for some of the limited reporting, and what was reported was simply Lebanese military handouts!]
The army said it would not allow anyone to enter the camp or refugees to return before de-mining operations were completed and the rubble was removed. Politicians were quick to congratulate the army.
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said in a televised speech:
“It is the greatest national victory for Lebanon over the terrorists in Nahr al Bared. It is a great success that the Lebanese army has achieved over the terrorists, those who sought chaos, destruction and tragedies for Lebanon.”
[Which is strange, since some of the Lebanese Internal Security forces moved weapons to the "terrorists."
And I will find and repost that, too, readers. It's in the Memory Hole!]
Mr. Siniora pledged to rebuild the camp and secure the return of the Palestinian refugees. He also indicated that the authorities would not permit militants to base themselves in the camp again. Palestinian refugee camps are considered off limits for Lebanese security troops.
President Émile Lahoud said the army “has achieved what superpowers could not in confronting terrorism.”
[That's because the superpowers and the funders and directors of "terrorists!"]
