Resistance by militants in Nahr el-Bared collapses

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Resistance by al-Qaida-inspired militants in a northern Palestinian refugee camp collapsed Sunday, Lebanese security officials said. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the last area of Nahr el-Bared camp held by Fatah Islam fighters fell to the army, which captured five wounded militants in their hideout. Only occasional gunfire could be heard inside Nahr el-Bared, hours after the army killed 32 militants and captured at least 15 others when they broke out of the camp and attempted to flee. But celebratory gunfire erupted in nearby villages as soon as the news spread. Dozens of residents took to the streets of Mohammara, waving Lebanese flags and honking their horns as troop convoys poured into the area with soldiers flashing victory signs. But the army was not ready to formally declare fighting over in the camp, large parts of which have been destroyed by army bombardments in the last three and a half months.