TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Agencies)
Lebanese army reinforcements were sent in to control the streets of the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli after fierce sectarian clashes killed some nine people, including a boy of 10, wounded dozens others and sent thousands fleeing their homes.
Lebanese army tanks patrolled the streets after militants from the rival Sunni Muslim and Alawite communities fought with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons in the latest bout of violence to rock the Mediterranean city.
Among the dead were a 10-year-old boy and two women, while another 50 people were injured, a security official told AFP.
Over 50,000 residents had to evacuate their homes, fearing the situation might develop into an all-out sectarian war across the city, AlArabiya TV correspondent reported.
Fierce clashes raged through the night, forcing the army to send in more reinforcement and impose partial curfews to control the situation, the correspondent added.
Lebanon has been hit by sporadic outbreaks of violence despite a power-sharing deal between rival political factions in May which led to the election of Michel Sleiman as president and the creation of a unity cabinet.
The latest unrest comes after the new cabinet hit snags in deliberations aimed at drawing up a policy agenda ahead of a parliamentary vote of confidence which would enable the government to be officially installed.
Despite a ceasefire that went into effect at 1500 GMT on Friday, intense fighting raged through the night but by Saturday morning the situation was calm as the army sent in reinforcements.
Dozens of tanks and armored vehicles were patrolling the streets to keep the peace between fighters in the mainly Sunni Bab al-Tebbaneh district and the neighboring largely Alawite area of Jabal Mohsen.
Interior Minister Ziad Barud and the head of the internal security forces Ashraf Rifi headed to Tripoli late Friday to see the situation for themselves and to assess measures to restore calm.
Shopkeepers in the area kept their stores shut on Friday because of the violence and people fled their homes near the front lines, an AFP correspondent said.
Families who stayed behind took cover inside shops and underground garages as hundreds of gunmen took to the streets in full sight of the army which stood by without intervening, the correspondent added. |
