Two Lebanese soldiers and four Islamist militants were killed yesterday in
fierce battles at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, security
sources said.
They said fighting between the troops and the militants erupted on Tuesday
night and Wednesday morning at Nahr al-Bared camp, adding that troops made some
advance inside the camp.
The Lebanese army said on Tuesday that troops have discovered a large number
of weapons, ammunition and military equipment as they move ahead cautiously
inside the remains of the camp.
Earlier this week, the Lebanese authorities announced that Fatah al-Islam's
deputy commander Abu Hureira was killed in Tripoli last week,
The Lebanese army have since May 20 been battling with the militants of Fatah
al-Islam in the Nahr al-Bared camp, some 12 km north of Tripoli. The bloodiest
internal violence since the Lebanese 1975-1990 civil war has killed more than
200 people.
The army has refused to halt its military offensive before the militants
surrender, but the gunmen have vowed to fight to the death.
The Lebanese government lists Fatah al-Islam as a terrorist network aimed at
destabilizing Lebanon.
