2023-06-06 16:36:00
The kidnapping and liberation of the Saudi citizen Mashari Al-Mutairi preoccupied the political and security circles, which followed the details firsthand. The Lebanese army succeeded in liberating him with a process described as qualitative, and arrested a number of detainees, but this achievement, as some saw it, hides behind it a tragedy that did not go out into the open, and a mistake that almost killed him. Four civilians, one of them seriously.
It seems clear that the attempt to obscure this incident, and if it indicates something, it definitely reveals the scandalous error committed by some of the elements that were present in the area, who suspected a civilian car that prompted them to fire a torrent of bullets, and Karam Bou Chaaya fell victim to it, while he was suspended between life and death. in a hospital.
From a suspect from the “Jaafar family” to the wounded Bou Karam, things got mixed up for the squad that was present in the locality of Kayal-Baalbek and led to shooting at the wrong car and chasing the wrong people instead of chasing the wanted.
This incident prompted the head of the Union of Deir al-Ahmar Municipalities, Jean Fakhry, to clarify what happened by issuing a statement stating that “the clash with the wanted persons in the locality of Kayal – Baalbek, and the coincidence of people passing by, some of whom were from the Deir al-Ahmar area at the moment of the clashes, resulted in the injury of a number of wounded residents of the Deir al-Ahmar area and the vicinity of Among them is Mr. Karam Abu Shaya,” wishing “the wounded and Karam Abu Shaya a speedy recovery.”
Meanwhile, An-Nahar sources confirmed that “during the exchange of fire, a four-wheel-drive vehicle with darkened windows happened to pass in the locality, which led to the inadvertent injury of a civilian, which is an unintentional accident, and a helicopter was sent to take him to the hospital.”
In a reading of what happened, the mistake occurred unintentionally, with the serious repercussions it carries, for which the young Bou Chaaya, who is suspended between life and death on a hospital bed, may pay the price. Many questions arise regarding the reason for shooting in this suspicious manner before verifying the identity of those in the car. The soldiers might also have fired at the wheels to stop the car instead of shooting in confrontation with the car and for a continuous period.
The source does not hide that “a mistake is possible at any time, nor does it hide other losses incurred by the army in other raids. The investigation is underway today, but this does not negate all the efforts made by the army to protect civilians and their security.”
What really happened on the day of the raid? And what did one of the survivors, who was in the car with her friends, reveal while searching for the wanted persons in the area?
The young woman, Raya Haddad, who was in the jeep that was subjected to a torrent of bullets during the pursuit of the wanted persons in the kidnapping of the Saudi, recounted in detail what happened, saying to “An-Nahar”, I was accompanied by Karam, who is my friend and future life partner, with another friend in a four-wheel drive car, heading to the town of Deir Al-Ahmar to participate in the ceremony. Our friend’s grandfather is buried. On the way back, we were heading to one of the restaurants in the area, only to be surprised by the presence of two four-wheel drive cars crossing the road, in addition to the spread of black-masked elements, and nothing indicating that they were a squad of the Lebanese army.
At first glance, the obvious idea that occurred to the youth was that there were conflicts between the clans in the area, and the natural reaction was to ask my friend, who was sitting next to Karam, to turn around quickly for fear of bullets. However, their fear of bullets and their escaping from what is going on will turn into a point of suspicion for those present, and here begins a movie-like detective story.
Raya remembers very well how the seconds of calm, while the car was back, turned into moments of terror and fear. The shooting was not logical, but intense and frightening. “I completely remember the continuous sound of bullets hitting the car, as if we were on a war front. The sound of bullets did not stop, and we started screaming in fear without understanding the truth of what was going on.
Karam managed to get out before the car stopped suddenly, we were hiding under the seats, only Karam might not take cover, only to find him with a gunshot wound to his neck and he was bleeding profusely, we miraculously survived, my friend got out of the car following it stopped, while I stayed with Karam who was missing Awareness. I was begging him to stay with me, but he was unconscious, his condition was very bad and his injury was serious following bleeding in his neck.”
Raya tried to call for help, two members of the army arrived at the car in order to check the identities, and according to Raya, “they started shouting, asking regarding our identity,” Who are you? You gave us your identity.” Then I started screaming, I did not understand their motives, and Karam was bleeding in my hands while he was suspended between life and death. Karam is from the “Bu Chaaya” house, and we were participating in the burial ceremony. He is in a serious condition and needs to be moved quickly.
Raya did not receive any help. They literally told me, “Turki Haida is dead.” After hearing this phrase, I literally collapsed. They rushed to transfer him in the “tank” to Dar al-Amal Hospital, which is close to the scene of the accident. After taking him there, one of the officers summoned me to a room for interrogation, and a video was filmed in which I talked regarding everything I saw. And I learned from them that what happened to us was by mistake, and that the shooting was not intended, and what we were exposed to was by mistake, and we should not talk regarding the details of what happened in a loud voice, as I used to do in the hospital.”
Raya sensed their attempt to obscure the issue and not raise it to the public, but it was not Karam’s fault that he paid the price for someone’s mistake, nor was it our fault as innocent civilians who have nothing to do with everything that is going on, as we turned into suspects and pursuers just because we passed through the place. And as long as there was a qualitative process, every car had to be checked and identities verified before making any decision to shoot, and this did not happen.
Karam lies in a coma in Hotel Dieu Hospital. “We do not know the extent of his ability to breathe on his own. He is still on artificial respirators following he received a bullet in the spinal cord,” says Raya.
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