Lebanese troops battled with besieged militants of the Fatah al-Islam terrorist group in north Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared Saturday amidst calls for civilians to oust "intruders and criminals." The army lost six "martyrs" in 36 hours of fierce clashes, while Fatah al-Islam lost at least 52 terrorists fighters.
| 52 to 6? Leb Army is getting better. |
The army also rounded up a dozen Fatah al-Islam terrorists militants, three of them wounded, during fierce fighting behind a screen of heavy shelling by howitzers and tank cannons. Army troops also opened up at Fatah al-Islam sniping nests with .50-caliber machine guns mounted on armored personnel carriers to cover advance of commando units that try to storm buildings booby-trapped by the militants.
| I'm no expert, but it seems that snipers would be Fatah's best weapon to slow/stop the Leb Army, and artillery would be the Army's best weapon to counter them. |
 Witnesses said Fatah al-Islam militants have also booby-trapped donkeys and dogs and set them in the direction of army lines, but the animals were shot and detonated before reaching army positions.
"Hey Achmed, see the donkey over there to the left?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Watch this." .. [ka-pwing] .. [BO-O-O-O-O-O-O-MMM!]
"Holy Allan! An exploding donkey!"
"They better not do it to any goats, or it's gonna get personal." |
Witnesses said 10 Fatah al-Islam suicide bombers blew themselves up at al-Thawra mosque and an adjacent building in the besieged camp.
| Splodydopes being Fatah's worst weapon. Use once, throw away. |
They said the militants were using mosques and medical centers as combat outposts in an apparent effort to force the army attack such targets.
| To which the army correctly responded ... |
The army, however, said in a communiqué that holy sites and medical centers have been pacified.
| By which I think they mean, 'reduced to rubble'. |
Muslim Clergymen stressed in Friday sermons that mosques should not be used for other purposes than praying.
Meanwhile, Islamist fighters evacuated families and dependents from the Ein al-Hellhole Ein al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern port city of Sidon, witnesses said.
| Since that's where the next fight will be. |
The move coincided with the army's advance towards Fatah al-Islam's remaining outposts in Nahr al-Bared.
Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's majority government, which says Fatah al-Islam is a mere terrorist network sponsored by Syria, has taken a decision to uproot the militants. The government has made the militants a "surrender or die" offer, but Fatah al-Islam said it would fight to the bitter end.
| Hokay, the Leb Army will oblige ... |
Palestine Liberation Organization representative in Lebanon Abbas Zaki has said the Nahr al-Bared camp was like a "hijacked plane or ship. Our people have been hijacked by the Fatah al-Islam gang."
| I'd feel sorry for them but I know better ... |
Uprooting Fatah al-Islam, Zaki added, would guarantee future of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, estimated at about 400.000 people.
| Guarantee that they won't be moving to Mauritania, he means ... |
|