Nahr El Bared: ENOUGH!

The army has lost 150 soldiers since the Nahr el Bared war with Fateh el Islam started three months ago.

Last Friday, the last civilians, mostly relatives of the criminals fighting inside the camp were evacuated. Following that very evacuation, the army lost at least another FIVE soldiers over the weekend (L’Orient- Le Jour, August 27, 2007).

I fail to see the humanitarian point this late in the game, other than as a PR mini-coup for General Michel Sleimane/Suleiman and perhaps for this stupid Seniora government that still worries about minutiae.

The army had previously, and more than once, I believe, allowed the wounded and civilians to be evacuated. Every time we saw the Fatah el Islam thugs regroup and kill more soldiers minutes later.

After every evacuation we hear from the army: this is it, only the die-hards are left, the end is near.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I saw:

Lebanon militants request evacuation of wounded

I read the Reuters headline a few times and thought: nah, gotta to be an old headline. No, It’s from Sunday August 26. After the “last” civilians evacuation and, while they are still killing soldiers, these freaks are asking for their wounded to be let go.

Saving “civilians” and wounded criminals may be compassionate and may give you the moral high ground in the first few days of a conflict. After that, all you are doing is helping the people killing you do their ghastly business, by not having to worry about their families and their wounded.

It’s not compassion anymore. It is verging on criminal stupidity. You, government and army command, are further endangering the nation by drawing out this war and keeping talks and contacts open forever. Your first duty is to protect YOUR citizens and YOUR soldiers who also have relatives you know.

I don't claim to know more than people on the ground do. However I believe that someone in position of authority ought to explain to the nation how is it that multiple evacuations and multiple ultimatums are NOT endangering our soldiers lives? Especially when the army is losing brave soldiers daily and when its casualties are higher now, with only 70 thugs left in the camp, than when this conflict first began?