Lebanon threatens militants

NAHR EL-BARED REFUGEE CAMP, Lebanon – Lebanon’s defense minister issued an ultimatum Wednesday to Islamic militants barricaded in this Palestinian refugee camp to surrender or face a military onslaught.

Fighters from the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam militant group vowed not to give up and to fight any Lebanese assault.

Storming the Nahr el-Bared camp – a densely built-up town of narrow streets on the Mediterranean coast – could mean rough urban fighting for Lebanese troops and further death and destruction for the thousands of civilians who remain inside.

It could also have grave repercussions elsewhere across troubled Lebanon, sparking unrest among the country’s estimated 400,000 Palestinian refugees. Already some of the other refugee camps in Lebanon, which are rife with armed groups, are seething with anger over the fighting.

But the military appeared determined to uproot Fatah Islam after three days of heavy bombardment of the camp, sparked by an attack by the militants on Lebanese troops Sunday after a raid on its fighters in the nearby northern city of Tripoli.

“Preparations are seriously under way to end the matter,” Defense Minister Elias Murr said. “The army will not negotiate with a group of terrorists and criminals. Their fate is arrest, and if they resist the army, death.”

Members of Fatah Islam said they were ready to fight.

“We are not going to let those pigs defeat us,” said one of a half-dozen fighters standing outside the group’s office inside the camp. The fighter, who identified himself with the pseudonym Abu Jaafar, wore a belt hung with grenades.

Another militant who said he was a deputy leader of the group said the fighters were willing to agree to a cease-fire if the military allowed them to remain in the camp.

But the militant, who gave his pseudonym as Abu Hureira, warned the troops would “face a massacre” if they attempt to enter Nahr el-Bared. It is unclear how many Fatah Islam fighters are in the camp, but Abu Hureira said they number more than 500.