What kind of military does Lebanon have?
It’s really hard to imagine why on earth the Lebanese military is having difficulty crushing at least 200 al-Qaeda inspired Muslim militants now holed up inside the Palestinian refugee camps in Tripoli? With some 40,000 soldiers at its disposal, the Lebanese military is considered weak based on the observations made by international critics. Otherwise, the Lebanese government wouldn’t bother asking military aid from America, if it is really capable of battling any Islamic militant group that is sowing terror in its midst.
Perhaps, the best alternative that the Lebanese military can do is to encourage legitimate Palestinian refugees, especially those who are not involved in the fighting, to just evacuate the refugee camp. Then the Lebanese military can do whatever it wants to flush out the Islamic militants by targeting the buildings where they are holed up. Isn’t it a practical strategy even an elementary pupil will be able to think about? In this way, the civilians like the innocent women and children to move out so that they won’t be caught in the crossfires.
Better still, next time around, the Lebanese government, in cooperation with the U.N., should construct a barrier around the refugee camp so that trespassers or those who are not living inside the compound cannot just sneak in and recruit frustrated male residents inside the camp. Once a barrier was set up, a check point at the gate must be established so that those coming in and out of the refugee camp can be checked through an identification card to be issued by the United Nations to each camp resident.
Hoping that the U.S. military aid wouldn’t be just another waste of assistance that might end up in the hands of sinister groups whose motives are for personal gains, instead for peaceful purposes.
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