Lebanese Raise Turkish Flags; Mark Tripoli's Liberation

Thousands of residents of Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli on Sunday marked the 726th anniversary of liberation from French invaders.



Holding Lebanese and Turkish flags, the residents took to the streets of Tripoli to mark the anniversary.



They also marked the anniversary of the reconstruction of the city by Mansour Qalawun, the Mamluk sultan who ruled Egypt between 1279 and 1290.



"This is a national day for Tripoli," Amer Kamali, the city's local chief, told The Anadolu Agency.



"We are historically connected to the Turkish flag," he added.



The gesture of raising the Turkish flag at Sunday's rallies comes in solidarity with the Turkish government following last week's demonstrations in Armenia, calling on Ankara to acknowledge what was described as "genocide" by the Ottomans against the Armenian people one hundred years ago.



The 1915 events took place during World War I when a portion of the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire took sides with the invading Russians and staged revolts.



The relocation by the Ottomans of Armenians in eastern Anatolia following the revolts resulted in numerous casualties.



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