Militants will fight till death: Fatah

Tripoli, Lebanon: A senior Islamic militant leader vowed Wednesday that fighters holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp besieged by Lebanese troops will never surrender or leave and will fight to the death if attacked.

The militant, who goes by the name Abu Hureira and identified himself as Fatah Al Islam's deputy leader, spoke to The Associated Press while sitting on the floor at the end
of a dimly lit building basement off a main street deep inside the Nahr Al Bared camp.

The bearded Abu Hureira, who appeared relaxed and was leaning against a pillow, said his men will respect the cease-fire currently in place after three days of intense fighting, as long as the Lebanese army continues to refrain from shooting.

"If they advance toward the camp, we will open fire," he said. "They will not enter except over our dead bodies."

The group's determination to stay and fight, and the government's insistence to finish them off could make a major military showdown inevitable.