SIDON: A joint Palestinian security force was deployed in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon on Wednesday in a bid to maintain peace in the camp following last Sunday's clashes between the Lebanese Army and Jund al-Sham militants. Some 40 members of different Palestinian factions fanned out in the Tawaree quarter in the Taamir neighborhood on the outskirts of Ain al-Hilweh, while patrols were conducted in and around the area.
The Palestinian force is made up of 10 members each from Fatah, Usbat al-Ansar, Ansar Allah and the Alliance of Palestinian Forces. It is charged with keeping the security situation in the camp under control, while preventing the appearance of any of Jund al-Sham militants or any attacks on the Lebanese Army.
Speaking on behalf of the new security force, Sheikh Abu Sharif Aql said "we will do our best to prevent any new clashes in the camp."
Clashes between the armed forces and Jund al-Sham broke out on Sunday night, leaving two soldiers and two militants dead. Three soldiers and two civilians were also wounded.
"We hope this step will be an example to be followed in the Nahr al-Bared camp in North Lebanon," Aql said.
No sooner had the force deployed in the Tawaree quarter than the Lebanese Army reopened all entrances leading to Ain al-Hilweh and Taamir. Some of the several thousand refugees who had fled the fighting to nearby areas of the southern port city of Sidon began returning on Wednesday.
A statement issued by the Palestinian follow-up committee in Ain al-Hilweh on Wednesday urged people to reopen stores and resume their normal lives in the camps.
Afifeh Ahmad Naddaf, a Palestinian refugee, expressed relief that clashes in the camp had come to an end. "I hope that all residents of the camp and neighboring areas return to their homes," Naddaf told The Daily Star. In a separate development, Sidon MP Bahia Hariri rejected claims that she had backed the Jund al-Sham militants. "Some political parties accused me of supporting Jund al-Sham militants," Hariri said in a statement. "Such accusations constitute a political assassination attempt against me and the work I have carried out in Taamir." Hariri admitted that she had paid a certain amount of money "to protect the Lebanese Army against any attack before it deployed its troops in Taamir." "The issue is no secret to any Palestinian or Lebanese party," Hariri said. "The sum was handed over to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)." Fatah commander Major General Khaled Aref said on Wednesday that the PLO had been asked to pay $100,000 after Jund al-Sham members demanded compensation for being forced to flee their homes in Taamir. The demand came following the army deployment in the area in January. "Given that the PLO is incapable of paying such a sum, we resorted to Bahia Hariri," Aref said after meeting with Hariri. Source : www.dailystar.com.lb
0 comments:
Post a Comment