December 12, 2001	Wednesday	Ramazan 26, 1422

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GAZA CITY, Dec 11: Israeli helicopters destroyed a base of Yasser Arafat’s elite Force-17 guard in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, while troops in the West Bank shot dead two Palestinians at a checkpoint.

Palestinian officials said the building between the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, on the northern edge of Gaza City, was destroyed but there were no casualties as it had been evacuated several weeks ago after a similar attack.

An Israeli military spokesman said the raid on the Force-17 post was carried out in retaliation for mortar fire on a Jewish settlement that slightly wounded a young Israeli girl on Monday.

“The Israeli army will continue to use all available means to assure the security of Israeli troops and civilians,” he said.—AFP