2 Fugitives Killed, Soldier Hurt in Brital Clash

A clash Friday in the Baalbek town of Brital left two fugitives dead and a soldier wounded, the army said.

“An army force raided the houses of a number of fugitives in the town of Brital who are wanted on charges of forming an armed gang and carrying out a large number of car theft operations, armed robberies, currency forgery and drug dealing,” an army statement said.

An exchange of gunfire erupted during the raid, which resulted in the death of A.A.T., H.T. (aka Tarta) and A.Q.T. (aka al-Sabi), and the wounding of a soldier, the statement said.

The fugitive M.Z., who escaped from the prison of Baabda’s Justice Palace on November 21, was meanwhile arrested, the statement added.

“A quantity of arms, various ammunition and drugs was seized as an investigation got underway,” the statement said.

Media reports had said troops were assisted by army helicopters during the violent clashes.