Syrian Troops Join in Militia Battle in Tripoli
Syrian paratroopers and their allies fought Muslim fundamentalists in Tripoli on Wednesday as efforts to halt 11 days of fierce fighting in Lebanon’s second largest city were reported deadlocked.
Tripoli police said the Arabian Knights militia, which has Syrian support, fought gunmen of the Tawhid, a Sunni Muslim group, along the main boulevard that cuts through the city.
Tawhid fighters also traded machine gun and automatic weapons fire for two hours with Syrian paratroopers who moved near the southern entrance to the city.
There was no report of Syrian casualties. But police said seven Lebanese were killed and eight were wounded Wednesday. That brought the overall toll from the fighting for dominance in the port city to 203 killed and 573 wounded.
Municipal officials estimate that more than half of Tripoli’s 700,000 people have fled, and that the heart of the city is a ghost town.
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