Lebanese Army Wants More From U.S.

Heavy black smoke billows in the air from the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared as the army pounds the militants' remaining hideouts with artillery fire, in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007. Fighting at the Palestinian refugee camp shows no sign of ending soon, with dozens of Islamic militants now protected by hiding in the rubble caused by three months of pounding by the Lebanese military. (AP Photo) (AP)

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- The Lebanese military has been pounding the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp relentlessly for nearly three months, trying to wipe out Islamic militant fighters. But instead, it has given them a new form of protection: vast rubble in which to hide.

As a result, the grueling battle shows no sign of ending soon. Frustrated commanders say they could have won long ago if they had received more sophisticated weapons from the United States, the government's top ally.

Army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman has lamented the lack of sufficient weapons to fight the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam militants holed up in the camp in northern Lebanon. He said the army was looking to other countries to buy weapons.

"We need weapons, conventional and advanced ammunition," he said Monday. "We didn't get anything but promises and best wishes and some ammunition, but no equipment. It's as though they are telling us, 'die first and assistance will follow,'" he added, without referring directly to the U.S.

The United States dramatically increased its military aid to Lebanon as a show of support for the beleaguered pro-Western prime minister, Fuad Saniora. When the battle at Nahr el-Bared began on May 20 _ sparked when Fatah Islam militants attacked army troops near the base _ Washington rushed supplies to Lebanon, particularly automatic rifle ammunition, helmets, body armor and night-vision goggles.

"What we have been providing is exactly what they have been requesting," a U.S. Embassy official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press on the subject.

"We were able to fulfill their requests in a month, far faster than the delivery period for other countries, given the circumstances in the north," he said.

But the United States has for decades adhered to an unofficial policy of not arming the Lebanese military with heavy or sophisticated weapons for fear they may be used against its ally Israel, former senior Lebanese military commanders say.

Military experts say the army could have gained a decisive edge early on in the battle if it had sophisticated weapons such as helicopter-launched anti-tank missiles and counterbattery radar designed to track the trajectory of incoming artillery and mortar projectiles. The equipment would have allowed them to better pinpoint the fighters in the densely built refugee camp.

Instead, the military has blasted the camp constantly with artillery and tank shells, leveling large swaths of it. Its more than 30,000 civilian residents fled in the first weeks, leaving the way for troops to move in slowly.

The result is deadly fighting in a maze of cinderblock houses and tall buildings. Fatah Islam gunmen have shown great resilience, hitting army posts with mortar and grenades. Their snipers have also inflicted heavy losses on the soldiers. More than 130 troops have been killed so far.

Suleiman estimated about 70 Fatah Islam fighters remain in the camp, down from the estimate of 360 when the fighting began. Along with them are some 100 women and children believed to be relatives, he said.