Lebanon army, Islamist militants clash at camp

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NAHR AL-BARED, Jun17 (Reuters): Lebanese troops and al Qaeda-inspired militants fought sporadically Sunday at a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon, the scene of often ferocious battles that have entered their fifth week.
Witnesses said heavy overnight clashes erupted between the army and the Fatah al-Islam militants and intermittent shelling flared Sunday especially on the northern and eastern sides of the Nahr al-Bared camp.
The fighting is Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war, killing at least 150 people, including 68 soldiers, more than 50 militants and 32 civilians, and has forced thousands of refugees to flee Nahr al-Bared, mostly to the nearby Beddawi camp.
Fatah al-Islam emerged late last year after its leader, Shaker al-Abssi, and some 200 fighters split from the pro-Syrian Palestinian faction Fatah al-Intifada (Uprising).