LEBANON: Army strikes camp a day after evacuating militants families

Record ID: 375396

  • Title: LEBANON: Army strikes camp a day after evacuating militants families
  • Date: 25th August 2007
  • Summary: (BN09) NAHR AL-BARED , LEBANON ( AUGUST 25, 2007) (REUTERS) HELICOPTER FLYING OVER THE CAMP RELEASING A BOMB OVER THE CAMP, AUDIO OF BLAST , SMOKE RISING FROM THE CAMP LEBANESE ARMY TRUCK AND SOLDIERS SITTING INSIDE VARIOUS OF THE CAMP SHELLING , SMOKE RISING
  • Embargoed: 9th September 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Reuters ID: LVA1YQ78Q66KFYGZZWSRI4LBFXRV
  • Story Text: The Lebanese army resumed bombarding the Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon camp on Saturday (August 25) ,a day after the evacuation of the Islamists militants families was complete.
    There has been at least five air raids since the military campaign resumed. In one instance video from the scene showed a helicopter above the camp releasing an air to surface bomb resulting in a massive explosion.
    The Lebanese army released the families of al Qaeda-inspired militants who had been evacuated from a largely ruined Palestinian refugee camp a day earlier.
    On Friday, the army evacuated 63 civilians -- 25 women and 38 children -- from the camp where Fatah al-Islam militants have been engaged in raging battles with Lebanese troops for the past three months.
    Nearly 300 people have been killed since the conflict between the army and militants began on May 20 -- the worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war in Lebanon.
    Security sources said there were no more than 30 active fighters left in the camp, suggesting the evacuation could be a precursor to a surrender by the group.
    Fatah al-Islam has so far refused to give in to army demands to give themselves up and has vowed to fight to the death.
    Sources said the wife and children of Fatah al-Islam leader, Shaker al-Abssi -- a veteran Palestinian guerrilla -- were among those evacuated.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register