NAHR AL-BARED (Lebanon), June 11: Sporadic firefights continued on Monday between Lebanese soldiers and diehard Islamist militiamen entrenched in a refugee camp in northern Lebanon, an AFP correspondent said.

As the showdown entered its fourth week, the sound of assault rifle and machine fire interrupted long stretches of uneasy calm since late on Sunday, after a weekend of deadly gunbattles that left 17 people killed.

During brief lulls on Sunday, relief workers evacuated 250 people from the Nahr al-Bared camp where more than 3,000 inhabitants out of an original 31,000 residents are still trapped in precarious conditions. The rest have fled.

The high casualties over the weekend were suffered in clashes – often at close quarters – when the army staged an operation to storm positions Fatah al-Islam positions inside the camp.

The army, which has been besieging Nahr al-Bared since May 20, tried to push into the camp and overrun positions held by the Al Qaeda inspired group.—AFP