Maj. Soad Haddad, commander of the Christian militia in southern Lebanon, accused United Nations forces there today of active cooperation with Palestinian terrorists and claimed that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has lost control of the various national contingents that make it up.
Haddad spoke to reporters after his release from Rambam Hospital in Haifa where he was treated for injuries sustained in a land mine explosion yesterday. He claimed that his jeep was in pursuit of eight terrorists when it struck the mine.
According to Haddad, the terrorists infiltrated the Christian enclave through a salient held by Nigerian troops attached to UNIFIL and that they escaped back into the Nigerian controlled territory. In both cases, the terrorists’ movements were unhampered by the Nigerians, which proves, he contended, that they cooperate with each other.
Haddad said that because UNIFIL has lost control of its various units which obey the instructions of their respective governments, he no longer recognizes the authority of UNIFIL commander Gen. Emmanuel Erskine. He said that from now on any unit-commander may contact his headquarters directly without going through the UNIFIL command.
Haddad criticized the 10 countries which supply troops to UNIFIL for agreeing to a request by the Irish government to meet in Dublin instead of discussing their problems in the UN Security Council. He claimed that this indicated that the governments of those countries no longer intend to carry out the instructions of the UN but to follow policies of their own.
The leader of the Christian militia said he and his men would continue to struggle for survival and for the return of Lebanon to the Lebanese, not the Palestine Liberation Organizations. He asked the U.S. to help him. He expressed regret over the failure of the U.S. hostage rescue mission in Iran and offered to help the Americans if they need it.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
