Fighting in Lebanon spreads to a 2nd camp [View All]

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Source: IHT

BEIRUT: The deadly volley of shelling and sniper fire at the Nahr al Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon took a more serious turn Sunday as fighting broke out between militias at another refugee camp in southern Lebanon, sparking fears that the two-week battle between the Lebanese Army and Islamist militants could be spilling over into other parts of the country.

With heavy fighting continuing for a third straight day at Nahr al Bared, fighting broke out among Palestinian factions and the army at the Ein el Helweh camp near the southern Lebanese town of Sidon on Sunday evening.

Witnesses said one soldier had been killed and two militiamen wounded, but the report could not be confirmed. Ein el Helweh, a sprawling camp packed with over 47,000 refugees, where militias roam the streets armed and ready, has been seen as a flashpoint by security officials here.

Skirmishes between Islamist militias and the army have grown more frequent in recent months as the ranks of the Islamists have begun to swell with fighters, many of whom have come back from Iraq.

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/03/africa/leb.php