The army said it had agreed to let the families of Islamic militants holed up in the Palestinian refugee camp Nahr al Bared, north of Tripoli, leave the battered camp. Lebanese and Palestinian officials estimate that up to 100 civilians, mostly the wives and children of the militants, are still inside the camp. Most other residents fled when the fighting started in May. The state-run news agency reported that the Palestinian Clerics Association had mediated the truce between the army and the militant group Fatah al Islam, but it was not clear when it might take place.

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company