Friday, December 31, 1999

In Diniyya, Lebanon, mbrs. of the radical group Takfir wa al-Hijra ambush a Lebanese army patrol, killing 4 soldiers, kidnapping 2, wounding 3. The army deploys 3,000 soldiers to flush out the rebels. Until now the government considered the group, which surfaced 2-3 yrs. ago and has an estimated 150-300 mbrs., to be disorganized and insignificant. (WP, WT 1/2; RL 1/2 in WNC 1/3; MM 1/4; GIU 1/7; MEI 1/14)