Lebanese army resumes air attack on militants

Описание: (20 Aug 2007)
1. Wide of Lebanese army helicopter flying over Nahr El-Bared camp
2. Helicopter over the camp
3. Wide of plume of smoke, zoom in to smoke
4. Wide of helicopter
5. Wide of camp
6. Mid of destroyed buildings inside the camp with plume of smoke rising
7. Mid of camp UPSOUND: shelling
8. Mid of camp with UPSOUND: gunfire
9. Mid of camp, smoke rising
10. Wide of camp
11. Destroyed buildings, smoke rising
STORYLINE:
The Lebanese army resumed its air raids on Monday against suspected militant positions inside the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared in northern Lebanon.
Artillery, rockets, grenades and machineguns were used in the fighting and huge plumes of smoke were seen rising from bombed buildings of the refugee camp.
No casualties were reported so far on Monday but two soldiers died last weekend during gunbattles with militants inside the camp.
138 Lebanese troops were killed since the fighting between the army and Fatah Islam militants broke out on May 20.
An army commander said last week that up to 70 Fatah Islam fighters remained in the camp, along with some 100 women and children, believed to be relatives.
When the fighting broke out in May, the number of Fatah Islam militants was estimated at 360.
The commander said the group was affiliated with al-Qaida, denying that it was a Syrian creation, as claimed by anti-Syrian Lebanese government officials.
The officials have accused Damascus of being behind Fatah Islam in an attempt to destabilise Lebanon following its forced withdrawal from the country in 2005.
Damascus denies the claim, saying it considers the group a dangerous terrorist organisation.
The Nahr el-Bared fighting has dragged on to become Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-90 civil war.
The army has refused to halt its offensive until the militants completely surrender, but the gunmen have vowed to fight to the death.

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