In Beirut, thousands of Lebanese lined roads and cheered troops after defeating the militants at the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp. The three-month-long battle is the country's worst internal fighting since its civil war from 1975 to 1990.
Crowds have converged on the main north-south highway in Lebanon to welcome the troops as the soldiers traveled to Beirut. The army started withdrawing units from the refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared in northern Lebanon on Sunday. Defense Minister Elias Murr says over 200 Fatah Islam militants have been killed.
The fighting between the Lebanese army and Fatah al-Islam broke out in mid-May. At least 20 civilians were killed in the standoff and more than 30 thousand refugees fled the camp. |