BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The Lebanese government placed Tripoli under military control to curb violence between supporters and opponents of the Syrian regime, officials said.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced Monday the army would maintain peace in the city for six months, the Daily Star reported Tuesday. The move came after 13 people were killed and more than 80 injured in fierce weekend violence between rival clans, a direct spillover from the Syrian civil war.
"We decided to commission the Lebanese army to take all necessary measures to maintain security in Tripoli for six months and place the military forces as well as police under its command," Mikati told reporters.
Soldiers will patrol the streets and seek out fugitives to arrest them, he said.
Clashes in the city during the weekend were described as the fiercest in months, causing dozens of families to flee their homes, the newspaper said.
The violence has occurred in the mostly Sunni neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh where residents support resistance against Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Jabal Mohsen area where residents are members of Assad's Alawite sect, Naharnet said.
