Troops Abductors Reportedly Ask for Ransom, Release of 400 Prisoners as Mashnouq Prepares to Visit Qatar

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq described as “excellent” the meeting of the ministerial panel tasked with following up on the case of soldiers and policemen abducted by Islamist militants from the northeastern border town of Arsal, reported the daily An Nahar on Friday.

The minister is scheduled to travel to Qatar on Monday in order to follow up on the issue.

Mashnouq and General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim will head to the Gulf country to attend the Arab interior ministers' general secretariat conference.

“Only positive results can be achieved from Qatar's efforts towards Lebanon,” the minister told An Nahar.

Later on Saturday, Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said a Qatari delegation that spent two days in Arsal had received a list of the abductors' demands, which are topped by “the release of 400 Islamist prisoners from Lebanese jails and the payment of five million dollars.”

LBCI television for its part quoted judicial sources as saying that “the Qatari team has left Arsal after receiving a list of the Islamic State's demands regarding the abducted troops.”

“Al-Nusra Front and the IS are insisting on the condition of swapping the troops for Roumieh inmates and the issue of money has entered the negotiations,” LBCI added.

Qatar has been mediating the release of the captives who were abducted by al-Nusra Front and Islamic State extremists in August.

A widely-informed Lebanese source told As Safir newspaper on Saturday that the Qatari officials had held talks recently with Nusra Front representatives in al-Qalamun.

They returned with “an impression that the extremists will not harm any of the 13 captives for at least a month, but on two conditions.”

The first condition was not revealed, while the second calls for the Lebanese judicial authorities to speed up the trial of Islamists held in Roumieh prison.

IS extremists meanwhile hold at least 15 soldiers and policemen, said As Safir.

They have not yet met with the Qatari mediators, who had suggested that the executions of the captives halt in return for pledges from Lebanese authorities.

The nature of the pledges were not disclosed.

A ministerial panel following up on the case of the abducted troops convened on Friday as the Islamic State group accused Qatari mediators of maneuvering and “obstructing the negotiations” before eventually meeting with them.

Earlier on Friday, the so-called Qalamun branch of the Islamic State said in a statement: “After having agreed to hold indirect negotiations with the Lebanese government ... (the IS) was surprised that the Qatari side … is procrastinating in the issue of meeting the IS' negotiators.”

The group held the Qatari delegation directly responsible for “obstructing the negotiations and for the lives of the troops.”

However, the IS later issued a statement confirming that it did meet with Qatari mediators and that "other parties" were obstructing the talks.

The group also announced that the Qatari delegation will be "the only channel of negotiations" and that it handed it a list of its demands.

The delegation had arrived overnight Thursday in Lebanon before immediately heading to the Bekaa town of Arsal, which borders Syria.

Around 36 Lebanese soldiers and policemen were taken hostage last month after IS and Nusra gunmen overran Arsal during deadly battles with the Lebanese army.

Lebanon has been reportedly seeking the help of Qatar and Turkey to ensure their safe release.

The militants have released several hostages in different stages but they have also beheaded Lebanese army sergeant Ali al-Sayyed.

The jihadists have reportedly called on the Lebanese government to release Islamist inmates from the country's largest prison in Roumieh in exchange for the captive security personnel.

M.T./Y.R.