The Nahr al-Bared camp, one of 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, has been the scene of fierce fighting between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam militants during the past two months, that has left at least 108 soldiers and over 130 militants and civilians dead.
The slow advance of the Lebanese army inside the so called old camp, which is a conglomerate of multi-story buildings seriously damaged in clashes between government troops and Palestinian militants that have raged since May 20, is being hampered by booby traps and sniper fire.
Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA) said government troops killed four Fatah al-Islam snipers Wednesday and were tightening the noose around militants who are offering stiff resistance from a few remaining strongholds in the area limited to no more than 2 square kilometers.
Lebanese army continued to pound the positions held by Islamists with heavy artillery and tank fire. Militants responded by firing 13 Katyusha rockets that exploded without causing any injuries, the agency said.
Four militants reportedly surrendered Tuesday to the Lebanese military and one of them said that Fatah al-Islam's second-in-charge, Abu Hureira was earlier killed in a skirmish, while the fate of the group's leader, Shaker al-Absi, was still unknown.
The conflict with Fatah Islam militants in Nahr al-Bared is Lebanon's worst eruption of internal violence since the 1975-90 civil war.
