Army Says Will Evacuate Wounded Islamist Only If Fighters Leave With Them
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8/30/2007
On the ground in Nahr el Bared, one more soldier died. The army meanwhile, said it will not evacuate wounded Islamists from the besieged Palestinian refugee camp unless the last diehard fighters leave with them. An army spokesman told AFP it is committed to guaranteeing them a fair trial. The army has been struggling to defeat the Al-Qaeda inspired Fatah al-Islam militia since fighting erupted in the Nahr al-Bared camp and the nearby Mediterranean port city of Tripoli more than three months ago. Military helicopters launched new raids on positions held by the estimated 70 militants who remain in underground shelters within a small area in the south of the camp. The raids were accompanied by intermittent shelling from ground forces as well as exchanges of fire inside the camp, where the army continued to blow up booby-trapped buildings. Contact continued between the militants and clerics mediating between the two sides. |
