Tension after 2 killed in area disputed by Bsharri, Dinniyeh residents
Two young men who hail from the northern region of Bsharri have been killed in the Qornet al-Sawda area, which is disputed by residents of Bsharri and Dinniyeh, triggering sectarian tensions and an intervention by the army.
The two men have been identified as Haitham Tawk and Malek Tawk.
An army statement said one of the young man was killed in a shooting in the area. It added that the second man was later killed in a separate shooting, while noting that it had warned citizens against nearing one of its training sites in Qornet al-Sawda to “avoid similar incidents,” which suggests that the second man was killed by army fire.
Annahar newspaper said the first young man was killed by “sniper fire” from a long distance as a “clash” erupted later between an army force and young men from Bsharri who had refused to leave the area, which resulted in “the death of Malek Tawek and the wounding of two others, including the soldier Mansour Sekkar.”
Speaker Nabih Berri meanwhile called MP Faisal Karami and called for “wisdom in dealing with the tragic incident.”
Caretaker PM Najib Mikati for his part held a series of phone calls with the army commander and the relevant security and judicial authorities, stressing that “the perpetrators will be pursued and arrested.”
He also called MP Sethrida Geagea and called for avoiding any retaliation.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan also called Karami, urging him to help pacify the situation and warning that “there is a fifth column seeking to stir strife.”
Several other political and religious officials have also condemned the incident and called for calm.
Source: Naharnet
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