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Conflict Incident Report
ISF: Sergeant Major killed, another injured in Nahr el Mott
An Internal Security Forces sergeant died after being shot by car thieves while on duty, the agency said in a statement Tuesday.
Sergeant Chadi al-Hajj, 28, succumbed to his wounds following a shootout with the wanted men in the Nahr al-Mott area, north of Beirut.
A unit from the ISF’s Bureau of International Theft raided an office suspected of harboring an auto-theft ring at around 10:30 p.m. Monday, prompting the suspects to respond by opening fire.
The gang has allegedly stolen cars and transported them to the eastern Bekaa Valley.
While attempting to flee, a suspect crashed his vehicle into two ISF cars and a civilian vehicle.
Police then opened fire at the suspect’s car, wounding 35-year-old S.D. and 28-year-old N.D.
Both suspects were admitted to hospital, where S.D. succumbed to his wounds. The pair had several arrest warrants issued against them.
An ISF sergeant was also shot in the foot.
Hajj was from the northern town of Bkaatouta in the Kesrouan district. In the statement announcing his passing, the ISF said Hajj’s death would only harden its determination to crack down on criminals.
Monday’s operation comes just weeks after government forces carried out a number of raids in Beirut’s southern suburbs and east Lebanon, areas generally considered off-limits to state-affiliated security units.
Military sources last week confirmed that a security plan for south Beirut and the Bekaa Valley had been “subtly” reactivated, leading to dozens of arrests and raids in recent days. “It is true that we are carrying out a campaign. We have the fugitives’ names and where they might be present. We are raiding their whereabouts,” a senior military source told The Daily Star.