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Lebanese refugee camp militants defeated, minister claims

This article is more than 16 years old

Islamist militants involved in fierce battles with the Lebanese army at a refugee camp have been defeated, the country's defence minister has claimed.

At least 172 people were killed during 33 days of fighting between the army and the Fatah al-Islam group at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, in the north of Lebanon. The battles were the fiercest in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war.

An uneasy calm, punctuated by sporadic gunfire and occasional explosions, was holding today after a Muslim cleric who had been acting as a mediator last night said militants had agreed to stop fighting.

"The Lebanese army has destroyed all Fatah al-Islam positions," Elias Murr, the defence minister, told Lebanese Broadcasting Television. "The army is combing the area. This terrorist organisation has been uprooted."

A security official said the military were "dismantling and detonating land mines and bombs" that had been planted by the militants.

The month-long battle at Nahr el-Bared has killed 76 soldiers, at least 60 militants and more than 20 civilians. It came amid a fierce political power struggle between the western-backed government and the militant Hizbullah-led opposition.

Sheikh Mohammed Haj of the Palestinian Scholars Association, a mediator who met militant leaders during the week, said Fatah al-Islam had "declared a ceasefire and will comply with the Lebanese army's decision to end military operations".

TV stations and newspapers reported that the deal included the handing over of Fatah al-Islam's wounded and the dismantling of the group.

Mr Murr said a "large number" of Fatah al-Islam commanders had been killed over the past month.

The group's leader Shaker al-Absi, his deputy, Abu Hureira, and others are believed to be on the run, suggesting they had retreated into civilian areas deeper in the camp.

In recent days, heavy fighting has seen soldiers destroy several compounds housing Fatah al-Islam positions on the camp's fringes in what has become known as the "new camp".

However, it appeared that parts of the old camp - the densely populated neighbourhoods in which most of the Palestinian refugees lived - remained outside army control.

The Nahr al-Bared camp is one of a dozen so-called refugee camps, set up under UN agreements, which have effectively become a permanent home for thousands of people.

Under a 1969 agreement, the Lebanese army is banned from entering the camps.

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