"Israeli" troops kill three Islamic Jihad militants, raid Nablus

Source: AP, 28-2-2007
JENIN, West Bank - "Israeli" troops shot and killed three militants from the Islamic Jihad militant group in this West Bank town on Wednesday, while forces raided the nearby city of Nablus for the second time this week, placing tens of thousands of people under curfew.
In Jenin, "Israeli" undercover troops shot from a black car toward a vehicle in which the three militants were sitting, witnesses said. The army confirmed its troops killed the men, saying they had helped plan an attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that was thwarted last week.
Two of the militants were killed instantly, and the third, Ashraf Saadi, was shot dead after he exited the car and tried to escape, the witnesses said. Saadi was the spokesman for Islamic Jihad.
In the Gaza Strip, Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmad said the group would retaliate. "This new crime will not pass without tough punishment," Abu Ahmad said in a text message sent to reporters. Islamic Jihad, which receives backing from Iran and Syrian, has carried out dozens of suicide bombs and rocket attacks against "Israel".
At midmorning, several thousand people, including gunmen firing into the air, joined a funeral procession in Jenin for the three dead militants.
In Nablus, dozens of jeeps backed by bulldozers raided the flashpoint city on Wednesday, imposing a curfew on tens of thousands of Palestinians for the second time this week as the army pushed forward with arrest raids against suspected militants.
Troops had withdrawn on Tuesday, briefly halting a three-day operation, but moved back in at dawn Wednesday, witnesses said.
At least three bulldozers sealed off all entrances to the old city with rubble and large concrete blocks and jeeps patrolled the streets of much of the city to reinstate a curfew, they said. More than 50,000 people were confined to their homes.
The operation in Nablus is the largest in the West Bank in months. "Israel" has frequently used such operations in an attempt to crush militant activity and thwart suicide bombings.
Schools and a university in the area canceled studies on Wednesday. Residents had on Tuesday stocked up on food, uncertain if the operation would continue and, if so, for how long.
Five Palestinians were rounded up in house to house searches for militants, the army said, among them were the siblings of a wanted militant, the parents of another, and an imam known as a supporter of the Hamas militant group and his three children, witnesses said.
The army has claimed the operation is necessary in the city known for its militant activity since most of the self-sacrifice bombers trying to enter "Israel" from the West Bank come from Nablus.
Thus far, one Palestinian has been killed in the operation, which began Sunday. Three explosive labs were claimed to have been uncovered, the army said.
Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Hamas-led government, accused "Israel" of trying to undermine Palestinian efforts to form a new unity government. Hamas and the rival Fatah movement are trying to finalize a power-sharing deal aimed at halting months of infighting.
"The `Israeli` government is wrong if it thinks these actions will take Palestinians away from the path of national unity and is delusional if it thinks military actions will lead it to security and stability," he said.