May 23, 2007

Thousands Flee Lebanon Camp

A truce declared last night has held long enough for Palestinian refugees to evacuate the Nahr el-Bared camp in northern Lebanon today.

Camp residents with cars managed to escape to another nearby camp, which is provisioned by the United Nations and other relief agencies. National Public Radio reports that about 15,000 camp residents, about half the total population, left late last night and another 1,000 left today. A U.N. convoy trying to deliver supplies to the remaining people in the camp was attacked earlier in the day.

AP reports that allowing refugees to leave the camp could be merely the calm before the storm of a final major clash between the army and the militants.

Fighting between the Lebanese army and the Fatah Islam militants holed up in the camp has been going on for several days, with members of the group loyal to al-Qaida defending their positions while the army shells the camp and threatens to invade.

Meanwhile, the body of a prominent militant is reported to have been removed from the camp today. Sources said Abu Madyan, Fatah Islam's No. 2 leader, is the highest-ranking member of the group to be killed since the fighting began.

Posted at 3:19 PM
Posted to: Lebanon, Middle East
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