Ali Abo Rezeg
19 August 2016•Update: 20 August 2016
NABLUS, Palestine
Two Palestinians were shot dead Friday morning in the West Bank city of Nablus while trying to evade arrest by Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces, according to PA security spokesman Adnan al-Damiri.
The incident comes one day after two PA security personnel were killed in the same city by what the authority described as "wanted outlaws".
"On Thursday, some of our security personnel came under the fire [in Nablus] while trying to arrest a group of wanted individuals," al-Damiri said in a statement.
"Our forces returned fire, injuring two of the outlaws, both of whom were quickly rushed to a nearby hospital," he asserted.
"Both of them, however, soon succumbed to their injuries," the spokesman added, going on to note that one PA security officer had been moderately injured in Thursday’s melee.
"Our security forces are now searching for fugitive members of the group," al-Damiri said.
PA security forces have since imposed a blockade on Nablus’ Old City in hopes of finding the fugitives.
Why exactly the individuals are "wanted" by the PA remains unclear.
According to al-Damiri, five PA security personnel have been killed over the last two months throughout the West Bank while searching for "outlaws".
*Reporting by Qais Abu Samra; Writing by Ali Abo Rezeg
