Lebanese troops on Sunday seized control of a devastated refugee camp they had besieged for more than three months after thwarting a last-ditch bid by die-hard Islamist militants to flee.
The Palestinian camp of Nahr al-Bared, a honeycomb of tunnels and houses reinforced against possible Israeli air attack, finally fell to a mass assault after troops killed at least 37 Islamist militants making a desperate pre-dawn attempt to break the siege, army and security sources said.
Another 15 Islamists were arrested, some of whom had managed to make it to nearby villages but were caught in the manhunt that included troops searching roofs and nearby fields.
More than 220 people, including 158 Lebanese troops, were killed during the stand-off which started on May 20 near the sprawling camp outside the northern city of Tripoli. Three soldiers died in Sunday's fighting.
Thousands of people converged on the camp after news broke in the late afternoon that the army had overrun the camp, as troops fired celebratory volleys into the air and flashed the "V" for victory sign.
"The shots you are hearing are celebratory shots, the camp has fallen," an army officer told AFP. Amina Sakr, a local resident who was carrying a child and was accompanied by about 25 members of her family, hailed the courage of the soldiers and their sacrifice.
"This marks a victory for Lebanon because we got rid of this gang of criminals which destroyed our houses, our businesses and our lives," she told AFP. The army said the final assault on Nahr al-Bared began at about 3:30 am (0030 GMT) after the militants attempted to break out on three fronts, including by sea, but most were killed or captured. "What they did today was launch a suicidal operation in a desperate bid to flee," an army spokesman said.
Troops throughout the day combed fields around the camp and raided nearby homes while search operations focused on nearby villages where some militants were killed or captured.
An army officer said Shaker al-Abssi, leader of the group linked ideologically to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda, appeared to have escaped while other reports said he was dead. The camp was home to some 31,000 Palestinian refugees, most of whom fled in the early days of the stand-off and have since been housed since at the nearby camp of Beddawi.
The army urged the refugees not to seek to return to Nahr al-Bared until they received the all clear. Early in the day, heavy machinegun fire could be heard from the northern edge of the camp as dozens of armoured personnel carriers, jeeps and other vehicles poured into the area. Military helicopters hovered overhead.
However by about 11:00 am (0800 GMT), the fighting had died down and the army said it was no longer encountering any resistance. Several Lebanese Red Cross ambulances containing body bags were seen leaving the area, sirens blaring. The army issued a statement appealing to residents of nearby villages to help in the search for militants who may be on the run.