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Sunni-Alawite clashes in Tripoli leave one dead
Ongoing clashes in Tripoli between factions supporting and opposed to the Syrian uprising have left one person dead on Sunday. The man was killed in clashes between residents of the predominantly Sunni Muslim district, hostile to the Syrian regime, and residents of the Jabal Mohsen district belonging to the Alawite community.A resident of the largely Sunni district of Kobbe was killed in similar clashes on Saturday, which also left five wounded. Clashes between the two sects are common in Tripoli. In a separate incident, an army officer was killed by sniper fire after clashes broke out on Saturday night between the army and a group of young Islamists, who were demonstrating in Tripoli for the release of a terrorist suspect. The gun battles first erupted between the Islamists and the army started as the youths, sympathisers with the rebels in Syria, tried to approach the offices of the pro-Assad Syrian Social Nationalist Party. About 100 young men, mostly Islamists, blocked the northern and southern roads into Tripoli, setting up camp at the southern entrance to the city. Black flags bearing the slogan "God is Great" were put alongside the flag of the Syrian rebels. Nizar al-Mawlawi, whose 27-year-old brother Shadi was arrested by Lebanese security forces said, "We will not leave until my brother is released." Lebanese security services stated that Shadi al-Mawlawi was arrested as part of an "investigation into his ties to a terrorist organisation," without going into details. Posted by: 2012-05-13 |
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