LAF pushes against militants; 2 soldiers killed

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Lebanese infantry battled Islamic militants at close range, moving deep into a besieged Palestinian refugee camp and hoisting Lebanon's red-and-white flag atop newly taken buildings, security officials and witnesses said. Two soldiers were killed Sunday in the army's deepest push yet into the Nahr el-Bared camp, bringing to 98 the number of troops who have died during the conflict that began nearly two months ago. The al-Qaida-inspired militants fired at least Katyusha rockets from the camp that landed in fields a few miles away, security officials said. No casualties were immediately reported. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give official statements. The conflict with Fatah Islam militants holed up in the camp has been Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-90 civil war. At least 60 militants and more than 20 civilians have been killed in the fighting, according to the Lebanese government and U.N. relief officials.