SLA seals off village
UN slams 'abductions' of Lebanese
By Sharon Gal, Ha'aretz Correspondent
Jan 27, 2000

The South Lebanon Army (SLA) imposed a closure yesterday on
the village of Nakura in the western sector of Southern Lebanon,
prohibiting villagers from leaving the area, reported United Nations
sources. Restrictions were also imposed on the villagers of Ayat
A-Shab. A resident of the village, Hussein Kasem, was arrested. A
villager from Nakura, Hussein Atawi, arrested on Tuesday by the
SLA, has yet to be released. The United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL) strongly condemned the "abduction of citizens
from their homes." The IDF has refused to comment on the subject.

On Tuesday evening, SLA troops arrived in the village where they
distributed fliers ordering residents not to leave the village. Those
who tried to leave were arrested. The residents of Nakura, a Shi'ite
village of 2,000 people, were told that the purpose of the closure was
to prevent the exit of possible collaborators of Atawi and the Hezbollah.
Atawi is being held in the Al-Hiyam prison. He worked as a cook in
the UNIFIL base in Nakura for 10 years.

"The area is under our control, not UNIFIL's," an SLA officer yesterday
in response to the criticism from the UN about the "abduction." He
added: "The IDF does the same thing when it finds a Lebanese
collaborating with the enemy."