NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (AFP) – Lebanese troops and Islamist militants holed up in a refugee camp in northern Lebanon engaged in a short but violent firefight early Monday, an AFP correspondent witnessed.
An exchange of gunfire rattled the Nahr al-Bared camp before troops deployed around the coastal shantytown fired four shells toward the northern entrance where the Islamists are holed up.
Smoke was seen billowing from the area, which later returned to calm.
According to UN estimates, between 3,000 and 8,000 of the 31,000 Palestinian refugees officially registered at Nahr al-Bared are still inside the camp eight days after the clashes began.
The army has been keeping Nahr al-Bared under siege since the shadowy extremist group Fatah al-Islam attacked army targets on May 20, sparking armed clashes in the camp and the nearby city of Tripoli in which 78 people were killed.
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.
Follow Me:
