...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
, the military announced.
It said in a communique that soldiers were carrying out raids to arrest the assailants.
The gunnies opened heavy gunfire and attacked the military patrol with rockets in the area of al-Tabbaneh at 1:30 am, prompting the army to retaliate, said the communique.
Eight soldiers, including an officer, were maimed in the assault, it added.
Voice of Leb radio (100.5) identified the head of the network that attacked the army as Khaled al-Naaman.
He was injured when the soldiers responded to the sources of fire and was taken to the area of the Bazaar, it said.
The army and security forces implemented a security plan in Tripoli last month after several rounds of fighting left scores of people, including soldiers, dead and injured.
The gunbattles in the two impoverished neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen are linked to the civil war in Syria.
Bab al-Tabbaneh's residents are Sunni and back the rebels in the neighboring country but Jabal Mohsen is mostly inhabited by Alawites, the sect of Syrian
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
The Scourge of Hama...
The army and security forces have placed in durance vile
Book 'im, Mahmoud!
dozens of gunnies and referred them to the military court.