2007 Lebanon conflict
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| 2007 Lebanon conflict | |||||||
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| Part of the War on Terrorism | |||||||
 The shelling of Nahr al-Bared |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Lebanese Armed Forces Fatah [1] United States (US Support) |
 Fatah al-Islam Jund al-Sham |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| Michel Sulaiman Francois al-Hajj |
Shaker al-Abssi Abu Youssef Sharqieh # Abu Hureira † |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 72,100 troops | 450 Fatah militants, 50 Jund militants, unknown number of al-Qaeda bombers |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Northern casualties: 168 killed, 400-500 wounded Southern casualties: 2 killed, 6 wounded |
Fatah al-Islam casualties: 226 killed, 218 captured (Lebanese claim) Jund al-Sham casualties: 5 killed Bomber cells: 7 killed, 18 captured |
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| Civilian casualties: 52 killed in the fighting, 12 killed in the bombings International Red Cross: |
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| Casualties sources: [2] | |||||||
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The 2007 Lebanon conflict began when fighting broke out between Fatah al-Islam, an Islamist militant organization, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on May 20, 2007 in Nahr al-Bared, an UNRWA Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli. It was the most severe internal fighting since Lebanon's 1975–90 civil war. The conflict evolved mostly around the Siege of Nahr el-Bared, but minor clashes also occurred in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon and several terrorist bombings took place in and around Lebanon's capital Beirut. Fighting continued into early September and the LAF declared victory on September 7.
[edit] Background
[edit] Nahr al-Bared refugee camp
Lebanon is home to more than 350,000 Palestinian refugees, some 215,000 of whom live in camps,[3] including the descendants of those who fled from Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In 1962, Palestinians were categorized as foreigners in Lebanon, regardless of how long they had lived there. Non-Lebanese, which included the refugees, were restricted from working in over 70 skilled professions until 2005, when new legislation officially opened 50 such jobs to them. The civil war left Lebanon's government and the general Lebanese populace deeply suspicious of Palestinian refugees because of their involvement in the Lebanese war. But, under a 1969 Arab accord, later annulled by the Lebanese Parliament in the mid-1980s[4]but maintained in principle, the government has been reluctant to enter the camps. [5][6] The current residents of the camps are currently denied access to their homeland or neighboring Arab nations.
The Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp is situated 16 km north of Tripoli near the coastal road and has been under scrutiny since February, when two buses were bombed in Ain Alak, a predominantly Christian village near Bikfaya. Fatah al-Islam militants based in the camp were blamed. About 30,000 displaced Palestinians live in the camp.[7]
[edit] Fatah al-Islam
The Islamist Fatah al-Islam group is alleged to have links with al-Qaeda and Lebanese government officials also believe it has ties to Syrian intelligence. Government officials have accused the latter of trying to undermine Lebanon's efforts in the establishment of an international tribunal to deal with the murderers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. [7] Syrian officials have denied these charges.
[edit] Timeline
| 2007 Lebanon conflict |
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| Timeline |
| Combatants |
| Fatah al-Islam |
| Jund al-Sham |
| Lebanese Armed Forces |
| Locations |
| Tripoli |
| Nahr al-Bared |
| Ain al-Hilweh |
| Other articles |
| Bikfaya bombings |
[edit] May 20: Start of the fighting in Tripoli and Nahr al-Bared
Fighting began early in the morning after a police raid on a house in Tripoli which was apparently being used by militants from Fatah al-Islam. The militant group subsequently began shooting at the Lebanese security forces who returned fire, triggering clashes in the vicinity of the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli. The men reportedly resisted arrest and the violence spread to neighbouring streets. [8] Militants then attacked a Lebanese military post at the gate of the camp, slaughtering 27 soldiers during their sleep, seizing several vehicles and also killing an undetermined number of civilians that came to the rescue of the Lebanese army.
[edit] May 21-31: Nahr al-Bared under siege
Despite talks of a cease-fire, Fatah al-Islam militants continued battling the Lebanese army at the outskirts of the refugee camp while Lebanese tanks and artillery continued shelling their positions in the camp. By now the camp was totally surrounded by the Lebanese Army and more troops were coming in with tanks and APC's. Beirut's airport was the scene of several military aid shipments, mainly from the United States. The military supplies included ammunition for automatic rifles and heavy weapons, spare parts for military helicopters and night-vision equipment.