Lebanon:A senior Lebanese defence ministry source last night accused Palestinian civilians of helping Fatah al-Islam militants holed up in the Naher al-Bared refugee camp, and said it would take longer than anticipated to win the battle.
"We didn't anticipate this level of resistance," said the source. "It may take a lot longer to clear the camp. It may take a week or 10 days to end this. We didn't expect a direct combat situation of this sort." The officer said special forces troops were now inching slowly into the camp but were engaged in heavy gun battles with the militants.
"We know at least seven soldiers have been wounded, but the fighting is going in the direction we want it to. Most of the fighters are contained in the centre of the camp."
In an indication that violence could engulf other parts of Lebanon, Islamist militants attacked an army checkpoint at another camp, Ain al-Hilweh in south Lebanon. That attack sparked fierce exchanges of rifle fire and grenades between soldiers and Jund al-Sham militants.
The army brought in reinforcements and armoured vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns but the clash ended some two hours later after mediation by other Palestinian factions.
As smoke billowed from the many fires raging throughout the Naher al-Bared camp, flashes of gunfire erupted across a cluster of bombed-out buildings in the centre, where the fighters were dug in. They were swiftly answered by volleys of artillery splitting the air before crashing into the camp. After being battered by more than 40 shells, one of the large apartment buildings collapsed.
Speaking by telephone from inside the camp, a PLO leader, Abu Stef, described the humanitarian situation as catastrophic. "We have had no supplies since Thursday," he said. "No food, no water, no medicine. We are all alone." Struggling to make himself heard over the machine guns pounding his building, he said the number of wounded was lower than expected, but that the constant bombardment had weighed heavily on many of the women and children of the camp: "Many of the women have suffered nervous breakdowns. They can't take any more explosions."
He also described the danger posed by the thick haze of smoke and dust that now engulfs the camp: "There are lots of fires throughout the camp, and many of us are having trouble breathing." He said the Palestinian factions inside the camp were trying to move the civilians to safer areas as the fighting spread, but some had been trapped in their buildings.
A Red Crescent worker said doctors knew of at least 27 people wounded inside the camp, but that throughout Saturday night and last night they had only managed to get one wounded man out.
The officer in the defence ministry said the army believed the Fatah al-Islam fighters had been receiving help from the camp's residents. "Every wounded person will be screened by military intelligence. We are watching closely and questioning everyone who manages to leave the camp," he said.
Abu Stef said such allegations were baseless. "People stayed because they didn't know it was going to get this bad," he said.
"Now that they want to leave, they are not allowed to. The people who are still inside are there to protect their homes and their things. If they leave, Fatah al-Islam will take over their areas." But suspicion of the Palestinians still inside the camp is high among residents of the surrounding villages.
"A lot of the kids from the camp are helping Fatah al-Islam," said one man whose shop neighbours a forward army position above the camp. Others agreed.
"The civilians who are still in the camp refused to leave even though the army gave them the chance to," said 31-year-old Houssam. "They should bring the camp down on their heads. They must be helping the militants." "We need a B-52 bomber," said his friend Mustafa. "We need to take out the whole camp. Just once." - ( Guardianservice)