TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Masked gunmen shot dead a policeman yesterday in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, security sources said, the second killing of a member of the security forces in two days. Yesterday’s shooting came a day after Prime Minister Tammam Salam’s new cabinet approved a security plan for the city, where at least 29 people have been killed in the last two weeks.
The security sources said Boutros Bayaa was killed instantly when the gunmen opened fire on his car at around 5:30 am (0330 GMT), hitting him in the head.
Fighting has raged in Tripoli this month between members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia, and majority Sunni Muslims — who have also clashed with security forces. The violence in Lebanon, still recovering from its 1975-190 civil war, has been fuelled by the civil war in neighbouring Syria, where mostly Sunni rebels are battling to topple Alawite President Bashar Al Assad.
Salam’s predecessor Najib Mikati announced in December that he had given the army full responsibility for restoring control in Tripoli, but the move failed to stem the bloodshed.
Reuters
