TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The Lebanese Army arrested 33 terror suspects during its hunt for remaining militants in north Lebanon Tuesday, as families were returning to the embattled port city of Tripoli following clashes that left 42 people dead and more than 150 wounded.
An Army statement said soldiers rounded up 33 people suspected of belonging to terrorist groups while searching the areas of Minyeh, Ayoun al-Samak, the forests of Akkar al-Atiqa, Akroum and Nabi Yousheh for fugitive gunmen.
“Army units continued to boost their deployment in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Tripoli’s old souks,” the statement said, referring to areas that were the scenes of pitched battles between the Army and militants inspired by ISIS and the Nusra Front that broke out over the weekend.
The Army blocked the main highway linking the area of Minyeh with the Syrian border as troops carried out raids in nearby Bhenin, military sources said.
Although the battle for Tripoli is over, a senior military official told The Daily Star Tuesday that troops would continue “raids in search of fugitive gunmen, including wanted militant leaders Shadi Mawlawi and Osama Mansour,” who were blamed for attacks on military posts.
Reports said Mawlawi and Mansour have fled along with several gunmen to Dinnieh’s rugged outskirts.
Fighting in Tripoli ended Monday after the Army seized a mosque in the city’s Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood that had been used as a stronghold by militants inspired by ISIS and the Nusra Front.
The four days of battles between the Lebanese Army and militants devastated swaths of the troubled streets. Returning residents expressed shock as they took stock of the damage inflicted on their property.
With Army reinforcements arriving in Tripoli, troops set up permanent and random checkpoints in Bab al-Tabbaneh and nearby Al-Tal, Mina, Zahrieh and Abi Samra. Soldiers also conducted foot patrols in and around Tripoli.
“Stability has been restored in Tripoli,” Future Movement MP Ammar Houri said. “Residents are going back to the city.”
About 50 percent of residents have returned to their homes in Bab al-Tabbaneh, while local organizations, including the Future Movement, began providing relief aid to people whose houses were damaged during the fighting.
Tripoli Municipality’s workers began removing debris and broken glass from the streets, while shop owners inspected the damage to their stores.
Commando units pursued remaining militants who fled toward the orchards or the barren peaks.
Security sources said the Army was hunting a group of gunmen spotted heading from Ayoun al-Samak toward the outskirts of Akkar and Arbeen mountains.
Army reconnaissance planes also flew over Bhenin and towns in the Akkar district looking for fugitives.
Asoun Mayor Motasem Abdul-Kader said there was no presence of ISIS or Nusra Front “sleeper cells” in the village in the Dinnieh area of north Lebanon.
But the mayor expressed concerns that militants who fled the gunbattles in Bab al-Tabbaneh have likely sought shelter in Asoun.
“We are fully cooperating with the security forces and we are conducting joint patrols in the village,” Abdul-Kader told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.
Asoun was the scene of a military raid last week. The Army captured one of its highest value terror suspects yet in a dramatic pre-dawn raid and gunbattle there Thursday.
Three gunmen were killed during the raid to arrest Ahmad Mikati, who is also a relative of a jihadist involved in the beheading of a captive Lebanese soldier.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Samir Moqbel dismissed reports of a compromise brokered by political leaders to end the fighting and allow gunmen to flee Tripoli.
“We have heard talk of compromises in Tripoli, but we affirm that no deal had been reached in Tripoli or elsewhere,” Moqbel told reporters after meeting former Prime Minister Najib Mikati at his Beirut office. “The Army and the military command continue to do their job.”
“There is no backing down,” Moqbel vowed. “The military operation is ongoing to clean the area of gunmen and of all the terrorists.”
The local daily Al-Akhbar said Tuesday that the fighting suddenly stopped after a deal was reached that called for the “disappearance” of the militants while the Army deployed inside the battered areas of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Minyeh.
Security sources had told The Daily Star that the Army was resolute in the crackdown on armed militants and was taking a no-compromise approach.
Mikati also denied reaching a deal to end the Tripoli battle. “I did not sponsor any compromise of any form,” he said.
The Army also continued its raids for the third day running in the southern city of Sidon in search of supporters of fugitive Salafist preacher Ahmad Assir suspected of plotting to attack an Army Intelligence center and a Hezbollah-affiliated compound in the city.
Mohammad F., a Lebanese and one of the terror suspects, gave himself up to Army Intelligence, security sources said.
The Army Monday foiled an attack on Sidon’s Fatima Zahra Compound, which houses a Shiite mosque, an infirmary and a lecture hall, before thwarting an assault against an Army Intelligence post. – Additional reporting by Mohammed Zaatari
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