Lebanese soldiers killed in bombing

Three Lebanese soldiers were killed and a fourth was critically injured today while dismantling a bomb placed by al Qaida-inspired Islamic militants in a northern Palestinian refugee camp, officials said.

The deadly blast occurred as the army was dismantling bombs, booby traps and land mines inside the camp, reported a senior military official.

Today’s fatalities bring to 79 the number of soldiers killed in the battle against Fatah Islam militants holed up in the Nahr el-Bared camp near the port city of Tripoli. More than 150 have been wounded since fighting erupted on May 20.

Heavy machine gun fire and bursts of artillery shells reverberated across the camp and sent up plumes of black and white smoke.

The state-run National News Agency said the army was responding to gunfire attacks on its positions around the camp and was pounding suspected militant hideouts deep inside the camp with artillery barrages.

Later, a gun battle broke out in the Abu Samra neighbourhood of Tripoli as the Lebanese army pursued a suspected militant, a security official reported. The official said the suspected militant fired back at the army, and soon thereafter, other gunmen opened fire at an army checkpoint nearby.

The army brought in reinforcements, and an expanded gun battle ensued, he added. Witnesses reported explosions, indicating the use of rocket propelled grenades. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

The official said a second suspected militant had been arrested earlier in the day during a raid on a house in Tripoli. He did not specify whether the militants were suspected members of Fatah Islam.

Prior to Saturday evening, fighting had not occurred in Tripoli since the first week of the conflict with Fatah Islam.

The army issued a statement saying it would not halt its military offensive until “those responsible for the deaths of soldiers are brought to justice”.

Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr declared victory over the militants on Thursday, and the army said the next day it had overrun Fatah Islam’s main positions inside the camp.

But sporadic fighting has continued, and two top Fatah Islam leaders, Shaker al-Absi and his deputy, Abu Hureira, are still at large, along with an unknown number of fighters. They are believed to be holed up among the several thousand Palestinian civilians still inside sections of Nahr el-Bared not under army control.