- Title: LEBANON: Palestinian camp calm after Lebanon declares victory in war on militants
- Date: 22nd June 2007
- Summary: (BN06)BEIRUT, LEBANON (JUNE 22,2007)(REUTERS) VARIOUS OF STREET SCENES AND TRAFFIC IN BEIRUT VARIOUS OF PEDESTRIANS
- Embargoed: 7th July 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Lebanon
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Defence / Military
- Reuters ID: LVA2ZSUSB43YDQN9WI0RIXDGWD5C
- Story Text: Nahr al-Bared camp in Lebanon is quiet after the Lebanese army declares victory in its 33-day war against an al-Qaeda-inspired militant group holed up in the camp. A Palestinian refugee camp was largely quiet on Friday (June 22) after the Lebanese army and al-Qaeda-inspired militants said they were ending more than a month of fighting.
Except for a few explosions and the very brief rattle of machinegun fire at sunrise, the camp was quiet. Some smoke was still rising from the shell-battered buildings at one entrance and the army was stopping anyone from entering.
Lebanon's Defence Minister Elias al-Murr on Thursday (June 21) declared victory in the battle against Fatah al-Islam group at Nahr al-Bared camp in north Lebanon, saying the army had crushed all militants positions.
Murr announced an end to the military operation but said mopping up and demining operations would continue and the army would maintain a seige of the camp until what remains of the militants surrender.
Fatah al-Islam, which grouped a few hundred fighters, relayed to Palestinian mediators its agreement to halt fire.
The fighting between the army and militants holed up in Nahr al-Bared was the worst outbreak of internal violence in the country since the end of its civil war 17 years ago and cost the lives of at least 166 people.
The minister said the army would maintain a siege around the camp until all Fatah al-Islam militants surrendered, including their leader Shaker al-Abssi.
In Beirut, news of the declared victory led newspaper headlines and citizens said they were relieved. One newspaper headline read: "Lebanese army end its military operations in al-Bared after crushing the gang."
And Lebanese on the street said the end of the fighting meant they could all go back to leading normal lives.
"Neither Fatah al-Islam nor any other extremist group that tries to destroy the country will be successful over the Lebanese army. The Lebanese army's victory was not only in Nahr al-Bared camp, it was in all of Lebanon," Kameel, a resident of Beirut said.
"What happened was very good because people want to get back to work. There is no work these days but if there is a ceasefire people can get back to work, come back to the country from abroad, and lead a normal life. I just want everything to go back to normal so that we can all get back to work," Naji Zein added.
Lebanon has been rattled by a series of explosions in and around Beirut since the fighting began on May 20. The latest killed an anti-Syrian lawmaker and nine others. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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