-News for Mon. 08 April & Tue. 09
April 2002 Sharon Says Offensive Will Continue
VOA
News 9
Apr 2002 16:42 UTC
 
Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon says Israel's offensive in the West Bank will continue
until Israel has destroyed what he calls the infrastructure of Palestinian
terror groups.
He spoke after 13
Israeli soldiers were killed and seven were wounded today in the Jenin refugee
camp, where there has been stiff resistance to the Israeli assault. The army
says booby-traps blew up a building which crushed some soldiers. Others were
killed by gunfire from surrounding rooftops.
Israeli troops have
been going house to house in Palestinian towns and refugee camps searching for
weapons and wanted militants. Palestinian officials estimate more than 100
Palestinians have been killed in the Jenin camp over the last week, and there
have been heavy casualties elsewhere.
Israeli tanks backed
by helicopter gunships entered the town of Dura, near Hebron, early Tuesday on
the 12th day of the Israeli offensive. Israeli forces killed three Palestinians
in Dura and arrested dozens of people.
Israeli forces
withdrew from Qalqilya and Tulkarm before dawn but are still enforcing a
blockade on the extensively damaged towns. Israel says its operation to wipe
out militant networks there was completed successfully.
The United States has
been putting heavy pressure on Israel to withdraw. The White House says
President Bush is still looking for results from his demand for Israel to end
the offensive now. The European Union called the pull-out from the two towns
positive but not enough - and demanded an immediate
cease-fire.
Some information
for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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