At least 60 people were injured in Nabatieh over the weekend in running street battles between supporters of the rival Amal and Hizbullah movements. On Saturday, the eve of the Ashura holiday, army soldiers fired shots in the air to scatter members from both groups, who hurled rocks, bottles and chairs at one another. One army officer, three soldiers and two Red Cross members were injured in the clashes, which erupted after members of the two groups argued over the timing of their parades. Amal supporters claimed a slow Hizbullah parade delayed their procession for over an hour, triggering the clashes. Dozens of cars and several motorcycles were damaged in the skirmishes, which sprawled across the center of Nabatieh and raged for two hours before the army closed off the town’s main square and restored order. The windows of a number of offices and shops were broken, forcing hundreds of people to flee to nearby buildings as they sought to avoid being hit by stones. Demonstrators also prevented reporters from taking pictures and broke the camera of a Daily Star reporter.
Hell, it was nothin'. Just a few stitches and some cars burned out. Wasn't even anybody killed. |