Islamists Free 5 Security Captives, Deny Imminent Release of Christian Abductees
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Four of the soldiers and a security forces member kidnapped by Islamist militant earlier in August were released late on Saturday, announced a leader of the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front.
The security personnel were transported to the residence of Sheikh Mustafa al-Hujeiri in the northeastern border town of Arsal.
They have been identified as Ahmed Ghiyeh, Ibrahim Shaaban, Saleh al-Baradei, Mohammed al-Qaderi, and Wael Darwish.
The Turkish Anatolia news agency said that the militants only released Sunni captives.
The Nusra Front leader denied that the Islamists will be releasing any of the Christian captives.
The Front now still has in its captivity 13 security personnel, ten are held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, while four others are missing, reported Voice of Lebanon (93.3) radio on Sunday.
The soldiers and security forces members were kidnapped after clashes between the army and Islamists in Arsal in early August.
The clashes erupted on August 2 in light of the arrest of a prominent al-Nusra Front member.
The fighting ended on August 7 with the militants withdrawing from the region, but kidnapping a number of soldiers and security forces members.
A few of them have since been released.
Media reports have said that the militants are seeking the release of Islamists held in Roumieh Prison in exchange for the captives.
The captors later aired a video of captive soldier Ali al-Hajj Hassan, who demanded that his parents pressure the state to release Roumieh inmates.
31 August 2014, 09:00
23
defacto - IS does not care if their kill Sunni, Shia or Christians. Al Nusra will release Sunnis to burnish their image as 'moderate.' They will not execute the rest but keep them as prisoners. The ones to worry about are the psychos from IS.
31 August 2014, 09:01
21
ISIS must indeed be eradicated but this can only happen if we have representative forms of governments in the Arab countries. In short Assad and ISIL are two faces of the same lousy coin.
31 August 2014, 10:28
00
There should be an official statement, if any of the hostages are hurt, the Syrian refugees should be removed from lebanon
31 August 2014, 11:23
22
Yalla go get them ya batal, that is if you dare ro leave your precious "mount lebanon" refuge
All ur good at is blablabla
It should be the state bargaining for their release not scholars or religious leaders, but their job is do e with propaganda of victory in arsal
One wants to be president, the other wants to lead teh army and the poor soldiers are worthless
And tehn you come nad screw around when soemone actually tries to save them
31 August 2014, 11:55
21
lol@pokerface, it took you a long time to figure him out. He defined the word "sectarian" and has copyrights to it:)
31 August 2014, 13:38
20
جبهة النصرة
لم تطلق جبهة النصرة سراح العسكريين المسيحيين لان ميشال عون هو حليف حزب الله
لن ادخل بأرقام حول من يمثل ميشال عون من المسيحيين غير الآصهرة وبعض المستفيدين
علما انه برأيي يمثل قلة من المسيحيين واكثرية الشيعة فليس هذا باب القصيد
إنما الخطأ هو اعتبار ميشال عون مسيحيا من حيث المبدأ
فهل انه مسيحي من يعادي مرجعه الديني واعني البطريرك ومن يعمل ضد مصلحة المسيحيين
لماذا تحملون المخطوفين وزر شخص من غير دينهم
31 August 2014, 14:42
10
This is true I agree. Let our guys go but leave the rest... You know it went down like that.
