Deadly Palestinian shootout in West Bank

Palestinian police spokesman Adnan Dmairi said the gunmen shot and killed two officers and wounded two others Thursday evening. Three more security officers were injured in the gunfight that broke out during the initial arrest attempt.

The security forces responded by sending reinforcements to the city. The subsequent chase to catch the killers ended early Friday in a shootout in Nablus, he said. One more officer was injured, and several weapons were also seized, he added.

Dmairi said Palestinian police were "determined to uproot the crime and lawlessness from our society."

A wave of gun violence

Two more police officers were killed in Nablus last month in a similar incident, which some say illustrates a growing lawlessness in the West Bank. Palestinian security forces have struggled to crack down on widespread illegal gun possession in the territory.

Palestinian police have arrested more than 100 suspects in the Israeli-occupied territory during the past two months, in a ramped-up effort to crack down on crime, Dmairi said.

The Nablus operation was carried out by forces of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) led by President Mahmoud Abbas. The PA has said it is determined to maintain security in the parts of the West Bank under its control.

Despite the multiple clashes several other suspects are still being sought, according to Dmairi.

While Israel has overall security control, Abbas and his PA have limited control in some parts of the West Bank territory, which the Palestinians hope will be part of a future state along with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

bik/sms (Reuters, AP, dpa)