Lebanon troops attack gunmen in Tripoli market

TRIPOLI: Lebanese troops attacked gunmen holed up in the historic market of the northern city of Tripoli Saturday, after deadly clashes rocked the longtime tourist attraction, an AFP correspondent reported.
A civilian caught in the crossfire and a gunman were killed, while nine soldiers, eight civilians and six militants were wounded, in fighting that broke out in the city’s souks late Friday, a security official told AFP. It was the first time since the civil war in neighboring Syria erupted in 2011 that violence had spread to the market in Tripoli’s historic center, which is on the shortlist for possible selection as a UNESCO world heritage site.
Elsewhere in northern Lebanon, a clash broke out in the Akkar region near the Syrian border, after unidentified gunmen tried to cut off a main road. Troops killed two militants in the fighting, the army said, adding that the road had been reopened.
The fighting came nearly three months after a battle in eastern Lebanon between the army and militants from Syria’s Al-Qaeda branch and the Islamic State (IS) group.
It broke out after gunmen attacked an army patrol Friday.
Relative calm was restored Saturday afternoon, after a humanitarian truce was mediated by local charities, in order to allow civilians trapped in the market to flee, said the official.
The AFP correspondent saw dozens of civilians, among them children, walk out of the strife-torn area.
But others remained trapped in the neighborhood.
“We are stuck between the army and the gunmen,” resident Motassem Al-Masri told AFP by telephone.
“My brother is wounded, but the Red Cross is unable to enter the area. We are begging the army to let us out,” said Masri, adding that he could see gunmen on the street.