Retired Soldier Critically Wounded in Tripoli Drive-by Shooting

A retired army soldier was critically wounded in a drive-by shooting on Thursday evening in the northern city of Tripoli, in the latest such attack against the military institution.

“Two masked men riding a motorbike opened fire at retired soldier Khaled al-Youssef in the Ibn Sina Street in Tripoli's al-Qobbeh, riddling his body with several bullets,” state-run National News Agency reported.

He was critically injured and rushed to the al-Shifa Hospital in Abi Samra as the gunmen fled to an unknown destination, the agency added.

Meanwhile, the Tripoli News Network Facebook page quoted informed sources as saying that al-Youssef is a retired adjutant.

TNN said army forces arrived on the scene and started pursuing the assailants.

Tripoli and the nearby northern region of Akkar have witnessed frequent attacks on the army in recent months.

Troops came under gunfire on October 16 in Tripoli's al-Beddawi area during a raid aimed at arresting fugitives accused of killing the soldier Mohammed Hussein on Sep. 23.

Earlier in the month, gunmen opened fire at a bus carrying troops in the Akkar town of al-Bireh, killing the soldier Jamal Jean al-Hashem.

A previous armed attack in Akkar's al-Rihaniyeh had resulted in the death of the soldier Milad Mohammed Issa and the wounding of a companion.

Y.R.