NAHR AL-BARED - Islamist fighters besieged in a refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Sunday launched a failed attempt to escape from the camp but many were killed, captured or wounded, an army spokesman told AFP.
"The fighters attempted to escape from Nahr al-Bared but a large number of them were taken prisoner, killed or wounded," the spokesman, who did not want to be identified, said.
"None of them managed to exit the camp and escape, as far as I know," he added.
An army source said at around 4:00 am (0100 GMT) several militants from outside the camp attacked an army checkpoint on the eastern edge of Nahr al-Bared, aided by fighters from within the camp.
The source said five of the Al-Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam militants were killed and a major search operation was underway in nearby villages. He said the search by early morning was concentrated in the village of Ain al-Samak, located some five kilometers (three miles) east of the camp.
Troops cordoned off the area around the camp and the nearby main road leading to Syria was cut off.
The camp, located north of the city of Tripoli, has been the scene of fierce battles between the army and Fatah al-Islam since May 20.
At least 200 people have died in the fighting, including 153 soldiers.
Most of the camp's 31,000 residents fled at the start of the battles, Lebanon's worst internal violence since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.
09/02/2007 04:58 GMT