By NNN-KUNA
Beirut : Lebanese Army gunship helicopters raided strongholds of militant gunmen in the northern refugee camp of Nahr Al-Bared on Saturday following evacuation of their family members.
Several rockets were fired from the hovering multi-winged aircraft on the last strongholds and pockets of resistance of gunmen of Fatah Al-Islam in the largely devastated seaside region, located north of the city of Tripoli, according to the local media.
On the ground, the Lebanese regulars advanced farther toward positions of the gunmen in the heart of the bombed-out camp, by now largely turned into heaps of cement rubble as a result of recurring bombardment with heavy artillery and tanks since eruption of the fighting on May 20.
The reports indicated that the troops surrounded a number of gunmen, holed up in an underground shelter.
The commander of the army, General Michel Suleiman, said on Friday that the fighting in the camp might end within 10 days and indicated that the regular force had refrained from launching an all-out assault to spare civilian lives.
Many buildings in the beachfront area, home for some 30,000 people, had turned into heaps of metal and cement. The army, fighting in difficult circumstances on zig-zag alleways of the camp, has suffered 140 deaths since flare-up of the battle — many shot with sniper fire. In total, some 200 people have lost their lives.
The violence broke out after the gunmen launched an unprovoked assault on an army position and killed more than 20 soldiers. The gunmen reportedly advocate hardline Islamic thoughts and aspire to establish a self-styled “Islamic emirate” in northern Lebanon.