Naharnet

ISF Arrests Top Fugitive Linked to ISIL

Police in the Bekaa Valley detained on Thursday an allegedly dangerous terrorist linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The state-run National News Agency reported that Syrian national Hussein Ghurelli, who is linked to ISIL in the Syrian Qalamoun, was detained in a hospital in the Bekaa.

The name of the hospital was not revealed.

Ghurelli, according to NNA, was being treated for an injury he sustained in his head during last week's clashes in the northeastern border town of Ras Baalbek.

He also reportedly took part in the battles against the army in town of Arsal.

Last week, the army targeted militant posts on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, seizing two hilltop positions.

The army frequently clashed with the militants in their hideouts near the Syria border, targeting gunmen to prevent them from advancing.

The jihadists remain entrenched on the outskirts of Arsal on the porous Syrian-Lebanese border.

The mountainous area along the Lebanese-Syrian border has long been a smuggling haven, with multiple routes into Syria that have been used to transport weapons and fighters.

H.K.

G.K.


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