Fatah al-Islam fighters attempt escape from Lebanon camp

NAHR AL-BARED - Islamist fighters besieged in a refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Sunday attempted to escape with many taken prisoner by the army or wounded in battles, an army spokesman told AFP.
"The fighters attempted to escape from Nahr al-Bared but a large number of them were taken prisoner and others were wounded," the spokesman, who did not want to be identified, said.
"Not one of them managed to exit the camp and escape, as far as I know," he added.
Troops cordoned off the area around the camp, located north of the city of Tripoli, and a major search operation was underway in two nearby villages to nab any fighters who may have managed to flee, an army source at Nahr al-Bared told AFP.

09/02/2007 04:15 GMT