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Fragile truce

NZPA-Reuter Beirut! Heavily-armed Syrian and I Sudanese soldiers enforced a i fragile peace in a shell-torn i 'suburb of Beirut early! | yesterday after five days of! 'fierce fighting between! ! Christian ■ and Muslim gun-i 'men. The troops, attached to an, Arab League peace-keeping force in Lebanon, moved' into the combat zone in! strength on Thursday night! amid reports of a cease-fire. According to Right-wing estimates, 37 people have .been killed and more than 220 wounded in the clashes between militias in the 'Christian district of Ain; Rummaneh and the adjacent' I Muslim sector of Shiyah. Informed sources said that) i some of the casualties had I resulted from action by the jArab Deterrent Force, which.

“has used tanks and rockets in an attempt to end the (fighting. The predominantly Syrian i Ad.f. said in a communique ion Thursday night that it I had reinforced its positions jon the front line between .the warring militias. I The statement said agreement had been reached with ;;all the parties concerned on [i a plan to arrest snipers and {hand them over to the (authorities. The Right-wing Falangist Radio reported that a ceasefire had been declared, but i there was no independent ; confirmation of the report. The fighting, involving i [ rockets, mortars and mach- ;! ine-guns, has evoked bitter . memories of the 1975-76 ; civil war which left an estil] mated 60,000 people dead jjbut solved none o? the counti try’s sectarian problems.

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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19780415.2.76.8

Bibliographic details

Press, 15 April 1978, Page 8

Word Count
238

Fragile truce Press, 15 April 1978, Page 8

Fragile truce Press, 15 April 1978, Page 8