Nahr Al Bared: Three Lebanese soldiers were killed on Saturday in new clashes with militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp, as mediators announced a setback in efforts to broker a peaceful end to the 21-day siege.
"Three of our soldiers were killed and a dozen wounded by Fatah Al Islam snipers," an army spokesman said. A fourth soldier, wounded in fighting on Thursday, also died.
That brought the death toll from three weeks of fighting between Islamists and the army to 113, of which 52 were soldiers.
On Saturday, Lebanese troops resumed attacks on Al Qaida-inspired militants in the camp
Sporadic machinegun fire reverberated and artillery shells rocked the edges of the camp in north Lebanon, where the Fatah Al Islam fighters have vowed to fight to the death.
The camp, short of food, water and electricity, has been abandoned by most of its 40,000 residents.
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told the French television station TV5 on Friday that the army was holding back to preserve civilian lives.
"That's why this battle is taking longer; and it's worth pointing out that these terrorists are well-equipped and well-trained and persistent."
