A GUN BATTLE broke out yesterday as the Minister for Defence, Mr Barrett, was visiting the camp where 102 Lebanese civilians were killed by the Israelis.
Mr Barrett was on a one day visit to meet Irish UN troops and see for himself the damage inflicted during the two week Israeli bombardment. He was at the Fijian UN headquarters in Qana when the gun battle broke out between two local militias just outside the camp.
The Fijian commander, Lieut Col Wame Waqanivavalagi, told the Minister the battle was part of local feuding which had broken out between the militias in the aftermath of the Israeli bombardment.
The Sunni Amal militia blame the mainly Shia Hizbullah for launching Katyusha rockets into Israel from beside the UN camp, where 850 civilians were sheltering. The Israelis responded immediately, firing up to 30 shells. Between 10 and 13 landed inside the camp, killing the civilians.
Yesterday's battle, involving the use of automatic rifles by both sides, became intense as Mr Barrett stood on the site of the massacre. Shooting twice broke out in the streets outside the camp gates.
The Minister finished his tour and was taken by Sisu armoured car to a UN base, where he flew by helicopter to meet Irish troops at the Unifil headquarters at Naquora, on the south Lebanese coast. He then returned to Beirut and flies home today.
During the Minister's tour of the camp, Lieut Col Waqanivavalagi gave him an account of the massacre. The Fijian soldiers had counted 45 bodies but the colonel said it was difficult to estimate exact numbers because there were "severed arms, legs and torsos all over the place". Four Fijian soldiers were seriously injured but were recovering, he said.
The funeral of the Qana victims, mostly women and children, takes place today from Tyre after what is expected to be a huge rally at the Colosseum in the city. A mass grave has been prepared at the edge of the UN camp.
Yesterday, Mr Barrett said Israeli shelling and bombing in and around UN bases was "not acceptable". He said the bombardment was out of proportion to the Hizbullah rocket fire into northern Israel. At least 155 Lebanese civilians had been killed by more than 24,000 shells fired by the Israelis. The Hizbullah fired around 600 rockets, many from positions close to UN bases.
The Minister was shown around the village of Shaqra, which was severely damaged by bombs and shellfire. He was guided by Comdt Padraig Moran, the UN company commander of the area, whose soldiers remained on duty throughout the bombardment.
Mr Barrett said the damage he witnessed was distressing to encounter. He said: "It is not acceptable in any way for there to be firing around or in UN posts. These people are here on a peacekeeping mission. They are independent peace keepers. As soon as the civilised states make that quite clear the better."
He said it was fortunate there had been no Irish casualties and he was delighted at the high level of morale and the degree of professionalism of the Irish troops.