Nahr el-Bared, Lebanon – The Lebanese army unleashed a torrent of firepower Mondy on a Palestinian refugee camp that is home to a militant group loyal to al-Qaeda, amid fears that the 2-day-old conflict could spread and undermine a government beset by political schism.
The fighting has claimed at least 50 lives and was the worst internal conflict since Lebanon’s 15-year civil war, which ended in 1990.
Fighting erupted in another Palestinian refugee camp in the south, and a bomb exploded in an upscale Sunni Muslim neighborhood in the capital, injuring six people. It was unclear if the incidents were linked to the fighting here in the north.
By Monday night, the military had ceased shelling the camp. A spokesman for the militant group, Fatah Islam, told wire services that if the army siege did not stop, militants would step up attacks elsewhere.
Inside the camp Monday, dead fighters lay in the streets as snipers from Fatah Islam crouched on rooftops. Wounded civilians could not be treated because electricity and water had been cut off, residents said.
“The human situation is a catastrophe,” said Fatah Deeb, a doctor inside the camp who spoke before his phone went dead.
Red Cross officials said they retrieved at least 17 injured civilians during a brief cease-fire that was broken before aid workers could establish a presence inside.
Experts believe Fatah Islam has no more than a few hundred fighters, many from other Arab countries. But observers said the group appeared to be using the country’s instability to establish a foothold and “institutionalize” al-Qaeda in Lebanon.
“Lebanon offers a fertile ground for al-Qaeda,” said Ossama Safa, a Beirut-based analyst. “My biggest fear is that al-Qaeda might rush to the rescue.”
Lebanon already is a crossroads for conflict. A dozen Palestinian refugee camps house an estimated 400,000 people and often have served as bases for militant organizations.
Last year, Israel fought a two-month war against Hezbollah, a radical Shiite Muslim group that controls much of the southern part of the country. Lebanon also has been divided between a pro-Syrian camp, which includes Hezbollah, and a Western-oriented faction that opposes Syrian influence.
Hezbollah has stayed away from the fray but issued a statement Sunday that blamed the government for the country’s growing insecurity.
The government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has accused Syria of supporting Fatah Islam, a charge denied by the group and Damascus.
President Bush, speaking to Reuters news agency, said, “Extremists that are trying to topple that young democracy need to be reined in.”
He stopped short of accusing Syria of involvement.
