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Rabat – Local authorities in Inezgane-Ait Melloul said gendarmerie forces used live fire in self-defense to repel an attack and an attempted raid on their post in Lqliaa on Wednesday night.
The incident left two people dead and several others injured. Videos circulating online showed graphic scenes of the dead lying on the ground, as well as a young child, alive but injured, with a gunshot wound to his back near the shoulder.
“The assailants sought to seize ammunition, equipment, and service weapons belonging to the gendarmes,” said authorities in a statement.
It added that the incident began when groups of individuals threw stones at the gendarmerie building and attempted to break in. Security forces said they first responded with tear gas in an effort to disperse the crowd and protect the facility.
However, the statement says, the attackers returned in larger numbers, this time armed with knives and other weapons. They managed to set fire to part of the building and a gendarmerie vehicle, while also seizing four motorcycles and attempting to take ammunition and firearms, according to authorities.
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“Faced with this grave situation, the gendarmerie elements were compelled to use their firearms in legitimate self-defense to repel the groups of intruders,” they added.
A judicial investigation has been opened under the supervision of the public prosecutor to determine the full circumstances of the incident and to identify everyone involved, concluded the statement.
Footage of the incident shocked viewers and fueled anger on social media.
Nationwide protests started last weekend in several cities across Morocco, with young demonstrators calling for better healthcare, education, and social services. By Tuesday, however, some of the demonstrations turned violent in certain areas, with circulating videos depicting alarming scenes of clashes between protesters and security forces, acts of vandalism, and property damage.
The Lqliaa attack on the gendarmerie post is one of the most serious incidents to have so far occurred amid this unprecedented wave of unrest.
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