QALAMOUN, Lebanon, June 28 (Reuters): Lebanese soldiers killed six Islamist militants, most of them foreigners, during a clash on the outskirts of the northern town of Qalamoun early Thursday, security sources said.
A military source said the gunmen appeared to be linked to al Qaeda-inspired militants of Fatah al-Islam which the army has been battling at a nearby Palestinian refugee camp since May 20.
The fighting between militants and the Lebanese army has killed at least 200 people in Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The firefight Thursday involved assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades as troops, backed by helicopters strafing the militants' hideout with machinegun fire, raided the woods on the outskirts of Qalamoun.
The army later blocked off the area near Qalamoun, which is on the Mediterranean coast about 5 km (3 miles) south of the city of Tripoli, and the fighting ended a few hours later.
Lebanese troops kill six Islamist gunmen
FE Team | Published: June 29, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
Share if you like