Lebanese armey moves against Islamic militants

Dozens of Lebanese army tanks and armoured carriers today pushed forward under the cover of artillery barrages against Islamic militants barricaded in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

The concentrated bombardment began in the morning, with heavy barrages targeting all parts of the Nahr el-Bared camp, where Fatah Islam militants have been holed up in a 13-day siege by the Lebanese army.

The artillery bombardment sent clouds of white smoke rising from the camp, and the shelling ignited fires inside it, spewing black smoke. The militants have barricaded themselves in the camp’s residential neighbourhoods of narrow, winding streets and apartment buildings.

However, reports on the ground indicated the army did not penetrate deep into the camp, but limited its advance to outer neighbourhoods militants use for sniper fire against army positions. Nahr el-Bared, like the other 11 Palestinian camps in Lebanon, has been off limits to Lebanese authorities under a nearly 40-year-old agreement that allowed Palestinians to run their own affairs.

Palestinian representative to Lebanon, Abbas Zaki, told al-Jazeera television that the military action was limited, engaging militants on the camp’s outer areas. He said there would be no storming of the camp’s interior, where thousands of civilians remain.

Two Lebanese soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in the fighting today, according to security officials. The officials said that a “unit” of Fatah Islam militants was “wiped out” but gave no casualty count.

The deaths raised to 34 the number of soldiers killed since fighting between the army and Fatah Islam militants began on May 20. At least 20 civilians and about 60 militants also have been killed before Friday’s fighting.

About 50 armoured carriers, battle tanks and military vehicles from elite units massed at the northern edge of the camp and drove toward the forward positions.

At one point, a significant decrease in the shelling, accompanied by a barrage of machine gun fire from armoured carriers and exchanges of automatic rifle fire, indicated the troops were in close combat with the militants.

But the bombardment again intensified several hours later. The security officials said the army had seized or controlled by fire the Samed and Khan main positions of the militants on the camp’s northern edge. They said operation sought to silence the militant fire to protect army positions.

A resident from inside the camp said some Fatah Islam positions were overtaken and destroyed in the push.

“What we have decided is to deal with Fatah Islam as a group, a terrorist group taking hostages who are left in the camp,” said Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh. He said that the army may be seeking to isolate the militants.

“I think the army is determined this time to go ahead and probably to reduce several pockets of Fatah Islam terrorists,” he said.

Cabinet Minister Ahmed Fatfat said the army came under sniper fire earlier today and decided to respond. “It seems they have destroyed those positions.”

Zaki, the Palestinian representative to Lebanon, expressed hope that the siege would be tightened. After meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, Zaki spoke of “tangible measures to force this group to raise its hands in the air and surrender to justice.”

A soldier belonging to an armoured carriers unit on the camp’s edge said the troops were advancing slowly and fighting building-to-building, after bombing positions in the morning.

“They are in very well-fortified positions,” he said of the militants, adding troops were coming under sniper fire.

Television footage showed the movement of T-55 Russian-made tanks, French-made Panhard tanks, M-113 U.S.-built armoured personnel carriers and jeeps with 106mm rifles mounted on them. Sandbags were packed on some of the vehicles.

Military officials would not comment on the movement and journalists were ordered further back from the camp. But a statement by the army command said troops came under fire from the militants and that the army was “responding with accurate and decisive fire to deter them” while also avoiding civilian casualties.

Sporadic gunfire exchanges have continued daily since a truce halted three first days of heavy fighting. The army has ringed Nahr el-Bared with hundreds of soldiers, backed by artillery and tanks, while the government has vowed to crush the militants, who have said they will fight till the end.

Thousands of Palestinians have fled the camp, but thousands more are still inside, along with the Fatah Islam fighters.