2 Palestinian Authority police officers in Nablus killed during factional infighting within Fatah

 

Akram Rajub, governor of Nablus, said that two Palestinian Authority policemen had been killed in the operation as well as two gunmen, both of whom he said were on a police wanted list.

By ADAM RASGON

 

Two Palestinian police officers were killed and two other police officers were wounded in Nablus on Thursday afternoon in clashes with gunmen, according to Palestinian Authority security service spokesperson Adnan al-Damiri.

Palestinian Authority police officers stand guard in the West Bank [File]. – Photo: REUTERS

“At 6PM on Thursday evening, security forces were exposed to gunfire in Nablus’s Old City while pursuing criminals, leading to the death a number of security forces,” Damiri told Wafa, the official PA news site.

The PA security service spokesperson identified Shibli Ibrahim Bani Shamsa, a member of the PA Police’s special forces and Mahmoud Muhammed Taraira, a member of the PA’s National Security Forces as the deceased police officers.

Damiri added that the PA security services know the identity of the gunmen and are taking action to restore security. “The identity of the members of the criminal gang is well-known and the police is taking action to restore security and normalcy with clear directives from the commander-in-chief of the security services Mahmoud Abbas,” he said.

The deadly clash comes more than a month after another firefight between PA security services and gunmen in Nablus’s old city, which left two other officers dead.

PA Police spokesperson Louay Zreikat told The Jerusalem Post in July that the PA security services launched a security effort to restore security to all regions of the West Bank including Nablus.

 

View original The Jerusalem Post publication at:
http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Gunmen-kill-two-PA-police-officers-in-Nablus-464530