Lebanon army, Islamist militants clash at camp

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, June 17 (Reuters) Lebanese troops and al Qaeda-inspired militants fought sporadically today at a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon, the scene of often ferocious battles that have entered their fifth week.

Witnesses said heavy overnight clashes erupted between the army and the Fatah al-Islam militants and intermittent shelling flared today especially on the northern and eastern sides of the Nahr al-Bared camp.

The fighting is Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war, killing at least 150 people, including 68 soldiers, more than 50 militants and 32 civilians, and has forced thousands of refugees to flee Nahr al-Bared, mostly to the nearby Beddawi camp.

Fatah al-Islam emerged late last year after its leader, Shaker al-Abssi, and some 200 fighters split from the pro-Syrian Palestinian faction Fatah al-Intifada (Uprising).

Members of Lebanon's Western-backed government link Fatah al-Islam to Syrian intelligence, although both the group and Damascus deny any links.

Lebanese authorities have called for the militants to surrender and lay down their arms, demands they have repeatedly rejected.

Fatah al-Islam's stated goals are to spread its vision of Sunni Islam among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and to fight Israel and the United States. The group has little support within the Palestinian community.

REUTERS SW KP1414