Fighting between militants and the army spreads in Lebanon

Yesterday, a "sleeper cell" of Fatah al Islam, the Al Qaeda spin-off in Lebanon, clashed with the Lebanese Army, this time in the south, in the Palestinian refugee camp, Ain al Hilwe.

The New York Times reports:

The deadly volley of shelling and sniper fire at a refugee camp in northern Lebanon intensified Sunday, and fighting broke out between militants and the army in another camp in the south, increasing fears that the two-week battle between the Lebanese Army and Islamist militants could spread to other parts of the country.

This in spite of the fact that, as the Times continued:

Palestinian leaders in Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps, but especially in Ain al Hilwe, had been struggling to prevent the fighting in the north with the Fatah al Islam militia, a group inspired by Al Qaeda, from spreading to other camps.

According to the Times sources, the sleeper cell was part of another militant group, Jund al Sham, which is sympathetic Fatah al Islam. But as the Times reported:

A gunman who gave his name as Abu Jaffar, speaking by telephone from inside the camp on Sunday evening, said: “We will not stop the fight. We are the sleeper cells that Fatah al Islam has warned everyone about.”

“We will not stop our fight until the army ceases its fight in the north,” he added.

Some 110 people, including 44 soldiers have been reported killed in the fighting over the past two weeks. But the death toll is believed to be higher, as apparently not all people have been accounted for, and thousands of innocents have been trapped inside the camps. Nobody really knows the extent of the losses because, as the Times continues:

The army has placed heavy restrictions on news coverage of the siege, keeping reporters far from view of the camp.

(Imagine the U.S. getting away with something like this.)

Many Lebanese citizens have reportedly been supportive of the Army's recent actions, as the armed gunmen who thrive inside the camps have long threatened Lebanon's security. The mayor of Sidon, Abdul Rahman Bizri, summed up the feelings of many Lebanese, when he reportedly said: “The Lebanese Army is fighting a very important battle and it has to win it. Because the balance of this country is too delicate, and they are the very core of our national security.”