Sniper Fire Targets Exodus From Nahr al-Bared
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Sniper fire brought to a halt on Friday the exodus of Palestinian civilians from a Palestinian refugee camp that has been gripped by clashes between Islamists and the Lebanese army, witnesses told Agence France Presse.
"They want to go out, but they are afraid of snipers," said Issa Sayed, a 49-year-old camp resident who fled the area a day after a truce took hold on Tuesday.
"They reached the bridge at around 4:00 pm (1300 GMT), but there were two shots, so they turned around," said Sayed, who was standing outside the camp in the hope that 15 of his relatives still inside would be able to leave.
His brother, Hassan Sayed, said he had called the trapped members of his family and they had told him they feared the continuing crossfire between the army and Palestinian fighters of the fringe militant group Fatah Al-Islam.
"They are too scared from the fire to dare to go out," he said.
Witnesses said few refugees managed to venture out of the battered camp on Friday.
An army officer on the scene insisted: "Anyone coming out on foot can exit without problems.
"Only entry to the camp is prohibited," said the officer, asking not to be identified.
The Lebanese army accused Fatah al-Islam fighters on Thursday of using civilians as "human shields" and warned that it would retaliate if it came under renewed fire from the militants, who declared a unilateral ceasefire on Tuesday.(AFP-Naharnet)
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Beirut, 25 May 07, 18:11 |
Re: sniper fire.
Did it come from the Lebanese army or from the Al-Qaeda fighters in the camp? It would be like them to shoot at civilians to frighten them from leaving so they could hide behind them. That’s my bet.