RAMALLAH, West Bank — Security unrest has been plaguing the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank since Aug. 18 as a result of a broad security crackdown launched by Palestinian security forces in the city and sporadic armed clashes between gunmen in the city’s old town, resulting in the death of five people.
The clashes broke out Aug. 18 when security forces entered the city’s old town to arrest armed individuals they called “outlaws,” accusing them of shooting at security forces. A spokesman for the security forces, Adnan al-Damiri, told Al-Monitor that the security forces were shot at and that two officers, Shibly Bani Shamsa from the special police unit and Mahmoud Taraira from the national security unit, were killed.