Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Clashes in Lebanon Kill 39

By Caroline Miller,  Newser Staff

Posted May 20, 2007 2:20 PM CDT
Email

(Newser) – A gunbattle between the Lebanese army and al-Qaeda-linked militants in Tripoli  today left 22 soldiers and 17 insurgents dead, the AP reports. The fighting—the worst in the city in two decades— began when police raided an apartment occupied by militants. The army later shelled a Palestinian refugee camp which contains the group's headquarters, as hundreds of Lebanese onlookers cheered.

The group, Fatah Islam, is said to be a radical Sunni muslim group with ties to al-Qaeda,  although some Lebanese officials consider it a front for Syrian military intelligence attempting to destabilize Lebanon, the AP reports. Lebanon's western-backed government is embroiled in a political crisis with pro-Syrian opposition.

Lebanese soldiers take cover near an armored personnel carrier during clashes with fighters from the Fatah Islam militant group at Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon Sunday, May 20, 2007. Lebanese tanks pounded shells at a militant group's headquarters in a Palestinian refugee camp...
Lebanese soldiers take cover near an armored personnel carrier during clashes with fighters from the Fatah Islam militant group at Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in the northern city of Tripoli,...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

 
military • Lebanon • Syria • insurgents • radical • Tripoli • Fatah Islam • al-Qaeda

More Newser Stories

Al-Qaeda: Help Syria Boot Assad

US Suspects al-Qaeda Behind Syria Bombings

As People Try to Flee, Syria Plants Mines Along Border

Egypt Forces Clash With Pro-Palestinian Protesters

16 Killed in Israel Border Clashes
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne