Posted on 05/26/2007 9:04:28 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (AFP) - Fears for thousands of civilians caught in the Lebanese army's siege of Islamist militants grew Sunday as those brave enough to escape told harrowing tales of survival.
The United Nations made an urgent appeal for the safety of children among an estimated 10,000 mainly Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, where the Islamist gunmen are holed up.
Lebanese troops encircled the camp a week ago, when fighting broke out with Fatah al-Islam militants that has killed 78 people, forced thousands to flee and trapped thousands more in unbearable conditions.
Residents told AFP how they dodged sniper fire from Fatah al-Islam, a shadowy Sunni Muslim extremist group which has been accused of targeting fleeing civilians to keep the camp's population as human shields.
"We put the women and children in front of us so they (Fatah al-Islam) wouldn't shoot at us," said Kassem Rabih, 50, after he escaped on Saturday.
"It took a lot of courage," said Manal Aamer, 25. "The children were terrorised, some were so scared that they first refused to go ahead. We walked on traces of blood."
Nadia Jaffar, 45, clutched the last of her heart medication as she reached safety.
"Bullets whistled past as we left the house," she said, adding that she had no choice but to leave. "We had nothing left to eat or drink."
Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker Abssi claimed the group's fight was with "Jews and Americans" and not Lebanon.
In a statement aired late Saturday on Al-Jazeera television, he said his group was "not a threat to the security of Lebanon" and accused an unidentified "third party" of starting the hostilities.
The UN children's agency UNICEF called on all sides Saturday to protect trapped civilians, including children it said had been through "unspeakable trauma."
"An estimated 10,000 civilians remain in the embattled camp with only sporadic humanitarian support during very brief ceasefire periods," it said.
The Lebanese army has accused the Fatah al-Islam fighters, including many non-Palestinian Arabs who have fought US troops in Iraq, of firing on civilians to prevent them leaving the camp.
A mainstream Palestinian faction commander inside the camp supported the accusation.
"It's Fatah al-Islam who are climbing on to the rooftops to fire at or near civilians to prevent them leaving," said Abu Imad al-Wanni, regional commander of the Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
"They know that as long as the civilians are there, the army will not be able to launch a full-scale assault," he told AFP by telephone.
Defence Minister Elias Murr has said last-ditch talks are under way to try to reach a negotiated solution to the worst internal strife since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.
He has not specified who is brokering the talks but reports said mainstream Palestinian factions were trying to break the deadlock.
By longstanding convention, the army does not enter Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps, leaving security inside to the Palestinian factions.
As the siege continued, more US planes full of military aid arrived in Lebanon after Congress approved a massive seven-fold boost in military support for the country, to 280 million dollars in 2007.
Fatah al-Islam spokesman Abu Salim Taha claimed the United States was bringing "non-conventional weapons" including nerve gas to Lebanon and threatened a response.
Speaking to AFP by telephone from Nahr al-Bared, he warned: "If these arms are used against our group, we will respond with non-conventional attacks in different parts of Lebanon."
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who heads Lebanon's opposition, has warned the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora against turning the siege into a new front in the US-led "war on terror."
Siniora said Nasrallah should have instead condemned Fatah al-Islam.
Lebanese Red Cross volunteers ride a pick-up truck loaded with food supplies as they enter the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp 26 May 2007. Five trucks carrying emergency food moved into the besieged Palestinian camp in north Lebanon today, Red Cross official Igor Ramazzocci told AFP.(AFP/Patrick Baz)
If you live in a rat hole and let the rats live, you will get bit...these people allow the terrorists in and then cry when they get hurt.....too bad, so sad.... no sympathy here .
meadow Muffin
59 years refugees?
Sounds like a long overdue pest control operation.....
Behave like cockroaches —— suffer the consequences.
The Muzzies could care less about Civilians (except to use them as propaganda or Human Shields).
Neither does the MSM except for the Muzzies. If this was a Christian Camp and the members of the ROP were besieging it you wouldn’t hear a peep out of the sorry SOBs.
It’s a cultural thing.
We are not supposed to judge them, since they are “Palestinians”, and hense not subject to the same rules expected of civilised people.
Guess they’re all using them for shields. Just Palis doing the Pali thing.
Yeah, I noticed that too. telling, ain’t it?
How come the UN never made any appeals about major terrorist organizations operating in and training in the refugee camps they fund and operate? How many of these Fatah Islam members residing in these camps are from other countries like Saudia Arabia, Yemen, and other arab gulf countries? These aren’t palestinians.
Comon UN. Your running these camps. Whats the story?
The morons at the MSM and the UN are playing it like Fatah Islam just magically appeared at these “camps” recently.
I wonder if Hillary and Obama voted for this. Also, do their leftist supporters know that Pelosi and Reid are sending all this military support to escalate a 'civil war' in Lebanon?
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