Lebanon - Clashes between Alawite and Sunni gunmen in northern city of Tripoli / Lebanese Army given

(25 Aug 2012) 0:00:00 Clashes between Alawite and Sunni gunmen in northern city of Tripoli 852244 AP TELEVISION Tripoli - 28 July 2012 1. Mid of Sunni gunmen in Bab al-Tabbaneh firing weapon 2. Wide of person running down street, and crouching low to avoid sniper fire, UPSOUND: sniper fire 3. Various of Lebanese armoured personneol carriers (APCs) on patrol 0:07:02 Sunni and Alawite fighters clash in Tripoli 855521 AP TELEVISION Tripoli - 21 Aug 2012 Bab Tabbaneh district 4.Various of Sunni fighters shooting 5. Various of Lebanese army firing 6. Lebanese army vehicle firing 0:30:10 Lebanese Army given "green light" to restore order in Tripoli following clashes 856071 AP TELEVISION Tripoli - 25 Aug 2012 7. Various of Lebanese army armoured vehicles patrolling in Bab Al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood in Tripoli STORYLINE: At least eight people were reportedly wounded in clashes overnight on July 27th-28th between Sunni gunmen in Bab al-Tabbaneh and their Alawite rivals in the Jabal Mohsen neighbourhood in Tripoli North of Lebanon. Alawite snipers in buildings fired at groups of Sunni gunmen hidden behind makeshift barricades. The Lebanese Army mounted patrols in the area and fired warning shots in an attempt to separate the armed groups of fighters. Both neighbourhoods have witnessed recurring clashes in the past months over divisions in their support for the 16-month uprising in Syria. *** The Lebanese Army was forced to withdraw from Tripoli, Lebanon's second largest city on August 21st after Syria's conflict spilled across the border. Security officials said clashes between supporters and opponents of Assad have left two dead and as many as 45 wounded. The latest clashes were between gunmen from the Sunni neighbourhood of Jabal Mohsen and the next door district of Bab Tabbaneh, which is mostly populated by followers of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. Syria's President Bashar Assad is a member of Syria's Alawite minority, while rebels fighting his regime are predominantly Sunnis. The army said the injured include nine Lebanese soldiers in the fighting that broke out on the night of August 21st in the port city of Tripoli. Army units in armoured vehicles were forced to withdraw on August 21st after coming under a hail of machinegun fire and rocket-propelled grenade attacks after they had tried to intervene to subdue the violence. The mostly Sunni city also saw gun battles in May, when fighting over Syria killed eight people. The streets around the two districts were sealed off by roadblocks to keep people away from the line of snipers' fire, but life went on normally in the rest of the city despite the occasional sound of gunfire. *** The Lebanese army on August 25th intensified patrols in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, following four days of fierce clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian factions that left at least 17 dead. Hundreds of soldiers, equipped with tanks and military vehicles, have been deployed between the Alawite-dominated Jabal Mohsen and Sunni-dominated Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhoods. The army are tasked with reducing the number of casualties resulting from the use of machine-guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar bombs, which sparked fires in several buildings. In spite of the increased military presence, fighting still continued and gunfire could be heard in many neighbourhoods on August 25th. Ahmed Abboud, one local resident said they didn't know how this could happen. "Look at us now, we're standing here, but later on they will start shooting at us," he said. The uprising in neighbouring has exacerbated Sunni-Alawite tensions in Lebanon. The Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shiite Islam. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a446625964a74287a76f6c5dfdf19658 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork