Blood in the North (Trablus): updates and photos from Achrafieh

After watching webnews, I've called a friend in Tripoli, he said the clashes have reached "Mitein Street" and people have been ordered to "stay home and never get out!". Clashes and sirens sounds can be heard all over the city.

Breaking news (Naharnet source, in ITALIANO Repubblica):
The Lebanese army engaged in deadly fighting with Fatah al-Islam militants in the northern port city of Tripoli and the adjacent Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared Sunday, officials said.
11 Lebanese soldiers and 8 Fatah al-Islam militants (Reuters source) were killed in the fierce fighting, which involved tank and grenade fire, Internal Security Forces chief Gen. Ashraf Rifi told Agence France Presse.
Dozens wounded in the palestinian camps in Nahr-al-Bared, where 40000 people are living, close to the northern city of Trablus(Tripoli). Appearently, clashes started during the night, while police tried to arrest someone in the camp suspected of bank rubbery. Rapidly clashes involved other areas and some militian attacked an army command. Fatah al-Islam is suspected by the lebanese authorities to be responsible of the attempt to the minibus near the christian village of Ain Alak last 13 Feb, when near Beirut 3 people died and 22 kept wounded. It's also accused of the assassination of a lebanese sergent last 23 Apr.

In Lebanon there are 12 palestinian camps, where are located 350,000 people. The lebanese army cannot enter palestinian refugees camps, under a 1969 agreement.
Following last clashes, Syria has temporarly closed two borders with Lebanon, Al Arida and Dabussiya.

My deepest condolences to the families of Lebanese civilians and army soldiers who were killed today. One hopes these events prompt the "opposition" to end its occupation of dowtown Beirut, allowing the army to focus its energy on rooting out these terrorists.

For more info, you can check Al-Arabiya, BBC, Al-Jazeera, LBC and Naharnet.

Update 20/5: TRABLUS: The army said 23 soldiers lost their lives in the deadliest fighting between security forces and Islamists since 2000, while 15 gunmen were killed, 10 of them in Tripoli
BEIRUT (AFP) - A 63-year-old woman was killed and 10 people wounded in an explosion late Sunday in the Christian quarter of Achrafie in Beirut, police and hospital sources told AFP. Ten other people were wounded and taken to two hospitals in the district, said hospital sources.

Update 21/5: TRABLUS: The Lebanese security officials said 27 soldiers, 20 militants and 14 palestinian civilians have been killed since yesterday.
BEIRUT - Photos from explosion in Achrafieh here. A huge explosion near the busy ABC shopping mall in Beirut's Achrafieh neighborhood shortly before midnight killed an elderly woman and wounded 11 other people, police said. The 11:50 p.m. blast shook thousands of sleeping Ashrafiyeh residents out of bed, many hurrying down the street to take stock of the damage.
Note from Peppe: I have been in Nov right in that mall, right in that cinema, we watched Borat...