Soldier Killed, 3 Wounded in Arsal Roadside Bombing
A Lebanese solder was killed on Thursday in a roadside bombing that targeted a military patrol on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, the state-run National News Agency reported.
NNA said the attack, which also left three soldiers injured, took place in the area of Wadi Atta.
The assault prompted the army to shell the position of gunmen on the outskirts of Arsal and Ras Baalbek.
Assailants have in the past targeted military vehicles with roadside bombs in the Arsal area.
Militants from the Islamic State group and al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front overran Arsal in August 2014 and engaged in heavy battles with the army.
The fighters withdrew to Syria but took with them hostages from the military and the Internal Security Forces. They later beheaded several of them.
While al-Nusra Front freed 16 servicemen in exchange for Islamist prisoners last December, there are no news on the nine hostages taken by the IS.
The outskirts of Arsal and other towns bordering Syria continue to witness sporadic clashes between the army and the jihadists.
G.K.
M.T.
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