WORLD : 28 Die as Beirut Militia, Troops Clash
Lebanese army troops and hard-line militiamen fought their bloodiest battles in two years for control of Lebanon’s Christian areas today, killing at least 28 people and wounding 60.
Separated by just yards in places, the two mainly Christian groups used tanks and artillery through the day, driving residents into hiding, leaving casualties lying helpless in the streets and setting buildings on fire. The battles between the army and the Lebanese Forces militia were the fiercest in East Beirut since 1986, when the current Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea ousted his predecessor, Elie Hobeika, in a coup that killed about 220 people.
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