Israeli troops begin dismantling outposts

Israeli troops began dismantling uninhabited West Bank settlements today, taking down a few of the dozens of outposts that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is obliged to remove under a US-backed peace plan.

Soldiers took down the Neve Erez South outpost near the Palestinian town of Ramallah, which consisted of two empty trailers, an Israeli watchdog group said. The military then dismantled Armona, which only consisted of a water tower, according to a nearby resident.