Four Lebanese soldiers die in manhunt shootout
September 14, 2020
An alleged extremist, suspected of being linked to Islamic State, killed four Lebanese soldiers on Monday after they tried to detain him at home in northern Lebanon.
Lebanese state media said the troops died trying to detain Khaled al-Tallawi. He is accused of being behind the murder of two police officers and the son of a local mayor in Kaftoun last month.
Tallawi, who is accused of leading a militant cell, opened fire and lobbed a hand grenade at the troops who raided his home in the Beddawi area near the northern port city of Tripoli, the AFP news agency reported citing a Lebanese army statement.
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The army said it shot Tallawi dead after soldiers chased him and other militants throughout the early hours of Monday morning.
The search for other members of his cell was ongoing.
Security forces have been hunting the suspects behind the Kaftoun murders for over a month.
Police arrested one person in the Beddawi camp for Palestinian refugees on August 22 near the northern port city of Tripoli, the day after the killings.
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jjf/msh (AFP, dpa)