Qahwaji Vows to 'Root Out' Terrorists, Lauds Army for Thwarting their Plot
Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji hailed troops for thwarting the “dream” to form a terrorist “Emirate” in Lebanon, vowing to root out radicals and secure the release of hostages.
Qahwaji warned in his Order of the Day that Independence Day comes as “Lebanon faces the biggest terrorist plot in the entire region.”
“You thwarted the plot … to form an emirate of darkness (that spans) from the nation's eastern border to the coast,” he said, addressing troops.
Had the terrorists succeeded in their plan, there would have been “devastating sectarian consequences,” said Qahwaji. “We would have also entered a whirlpool of civil war.”
The army commander said last month that the Islamic State group and al-Nusra Front militants wanted to ignite civil war and create a passage to Lebanon's coastline by linking the Syrian Qalamoun mountains with Arsal on the northeastern border and the northern district of Akkar.
Media reports said that several terrorists arrested by the army in the past weeks have admitted to the plot.
“Our decision is clear. The fight against these organizations will continue,” Qahwaji said, promising “to root out the terrorists from Lebanon.”
He also promised to continue to exert all efforts to guarantee the freedom of soldiers and policemen who were taken captive by the jihadists from Arsal.
The militants from the IS and al-Nusra Front overran Arsal in August and took with them the hostages. They later executed three of them.
Qahwaji said the army was able to garner the support of the Lebanese people through its unity.
“On the 71st anniversary of the independence, the people are looking at you as a symbol for the nation's sovereignty and independence and as the protector of its coexistence,” he told troops.
But Qahwaji lamented that the Independence Day ceremony will not be held on Saturday over the vacuum at Baabda Palace.
This is the second time since the expiry of President Michel Suleiman's term in May that Lebanese soldiers failed to make a military parade.
In August, the traditional parade held to mark Army Day was canceled.
Qahwaji hoped a president would be elected “swiftly,” a move, which he said would contribute to the consolidation of constitutional institutions.
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