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Lebanon Captures Spokesman for Fatah al-Islam


The Lebanese army says it captured four fugitive Islamist militants Saturday, including the spokesman during the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp uprising.

An army spokesman says Abu Salim Taha was captured along with three other members of Fatah al-Islam in the Jabal Terbol region near the main northern city of Tripoli.

Taha is a Palestinian-Syrian from the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

The spokesman says the other three captured militants are a Saudi, a Syrian and a Tunisian.

Fighting between the army and the Fatah al-Islam group broke out May 20. Lebanon's Defense Ministry says at least 222 militants, 163 soldiers and 42 civilians were killed in the fighting at the camp.

Lebanese troops have been hunting down fugitive Fatah al-Islam militants since the siege of Nahr al-Bared ended September 2 after a breakout attempt by the remaining fighters.

Taha was reported after the breakout to have been killed, but tests proved the body was not that of Taha.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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