4 People dead in clashes in Tripoli

Four people were killed and several others wounded in clashes in several districts of Tripoli in North Lebanon and Lebanese Army troops responded to the fire, security sources said on Wednesday. The four people lost their life in the fighting, which erupted on Tuesday and continued until early Wednesday, between the predominantly-Sunni district of Bab Al-Tabanah and Jabal Mohsen, mainly inhabited by Alawites. The foe militias used rockets and machine guns during the violence in the city, located roughly 80 kilometers north of the capital Beirut. Army troops responded to the fire, early on Wednesday, and staged patrols in the areas of clashes, which are currently witnessing calm with sporadic sniper fire. Security in the port city has deteriorated because a number of its natives were killed by Syrian government forces in the Syrian Talkalakh district last week. The local media reported that some 20 gunmen, members of Sunni fundamentalist factions based in Tripoli, were ambushed and killed by the Syrian regulars while the armed men were on their way to Homs to back up opposition forces battling the government troops. Some of these Sunni groups are based in Bab Al-Tabanah. The Syrian government announced through its Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdulkareem Ali, readiness to hand over the dead bodies of the Lebanese for humanitarian reasons.