Army Destroys IS Post in Ras Baalbek, Inflicts Casualties as Qahwaji Vows to Hit Terrorists 'Wherever They May Be'
One soldier and five extremists were killed on Thursday as the Lebanese army launched a preemptive strike against jihadists from the Islamic State group on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek in eastern Lebanon.
An army statement identified the slain soldier as Mohammed Hussam al-Sayyed al-Sabsabi, saying the 23-year-old hailed from the Akkar town of Bebnin. Four soldiers were also lightly injured in the operation, according to Army chief General Jean Qahwaji.
Five extremists were killed and dozens others were wounded in the army raid, Qahwaji said.
“What the soldiers did today was a message to everyone that the army has the will and decision to defeat this enemy,” the army chief added.
“We will defeat it and prevent it from achieving its goals of destroying our country or establishing its emirate and schemes of chaos and sedition,” vowed Qahwaji.
“We are vigilant more than ever. We said it once and we will repeat it: our army is stronger than ever, and it has proved to be one of the most firm and most competent armies in the fight against terrorists,” the army chief added.
Reiterating that the army “will not allow terror to threaten Lebanon's unity, security and stability,” Qahwaji pledged to crack down on terrorists “forcefully” and at the army's “timing.”
“We will not let them advance towards us. We will rather pursue them and strike them wherever they may be. This is the irreversible decision that we have taken,” the army commander added.
According to Qahwaji, the army's lightning operation was carried out at 3:30 am in an area that is three kilometers away from the army's posts.
Troops destroyed the IS post's installations and vehicles as army aircraft and artillery repelled reinforcements that were brought in by the extremists, inflicting further casualties, Qahwaji added.
The area was "calm" around noon and the wounded soldiers were receiving treatment in nearby hospitals, a security official had told Agence France Presse.
The army frequently shells militant positions in the border area.
The threat of the IS and al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front rose in 2014 when they overran the northeastern border town of Arsal and engaged in bloody clashes with the military.
The jihadists kidnapped 30 Lebanese soldiers and policemen as they withdrew.
After long negotiations, 16 of the kidnapped men were released at the start of December in exchange for Islamist prisoners jailed in Lebanon.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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