Army Cracks Down on Fugitives, Carries Out Large-Scale Raids in North

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

The Lebanese army carried out large-scale raids early on Wednesday in the northern coastal city of Tripoli and the region of Koura in search of suspects, as several armed men turned themselves in.

The army expanded its raids in the evening and arrested several suspects, including one accused of belonging to the group of Imad Jomaa, whose arrest on August 2 sparked deadly clashes with jihadist gunmen in the northeastern border town of Arsal.

Earlier, state-run National News Agency reported that the military carried out raids in Tripoli's Abi Samra neighborhood and Dahr al-Ain in the northern Koura district.

The army heavily deployed in the areas, erecting checkpoints.

An army reconnaissance drone accompanied the operations.

Later on Wednesday, the army announced in another statement that its forces raided places suspected of harboring gunmen in the Tripoli area of Abi Samra.

“Eight individuals were arrested, including 3 Syrians, while 3 Kalashnikov rifles, an RPG launcher, 10 grenades and a quantity of ammo and military equipment were seized in their possession,” the army added.

Another army unit raided Syrian refugee encampments in the Minieh region and arrested 8 people on suspicion of having ties to armed groups, according to the same statement.

Meanwhile, Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) said army commandos staged patrols in Mashta Hammoud, Mashta Hassan and Jabal al-Mansoura in the northern region of Wadi Khaled, arresting several fugitives.

The radio station had earlier reported that agents from the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau raided an apartment in Abi Samra that was occupied by Islamist cleric Sheikh Khaled Hoblos and confiscated a computer device.

Gunmen linked to Sheikh Hoblos, a previously unknown cleric, engaged in clashes with the army over the weekend in the town of Bhannine in the district of Akkar in the North.

A terrorist from Khalaf family, who is linked to the Hoblos group, was detained in the northern region of Minieh, the NNA said.

The military said in a communique on Wednesday that three wanted suspects turned themselves in to the army.

They were identified as Nasser Mahmoud al-Bohsa, Azzam Rashed Taleb and Salah Mohammed Abdulhayy.

The three, according to the army statement, engaged in armed clashes with the army in Bhannine.

The army has tightened its security grip in North Lebanon after deadly gunbattles with Islamist gunmen in Tripoli over the weekend.

VDL (93.3) reported that the army also raided Bustan al-Baghdadi neighborhood and detained four suspects, including a Syrian, for the involvement in sabotage operations.

At least 162 suspects have been arrested since Friday, the army said in a communique on Tuesday.

In the evening, an army force raided the town of Tal Maayan in the Akkar plain where it arrested seven people, NNA said.

Meanwhile, State Security agents arrested the Syrian Salim M. Kh. at a Syrian refugee gathering in the Akkar town of Khirbet Daoud.

NNA said the man is a defected Syrian army warrant officer who hails from the town of Qusayr, noting that he is suspected of “belonging to the group of the detainee Imad Jomaa and being the founder of the Iaasar al-Haq Brigade in Qalamun.”

The battle between the Lebanese army and extremists in northern Lebanon was widely expected after members of the Islamic State group and al-Qaida's branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, launched several attacks over the past weeks in areas on the border with Syria.

H.K./Y.R.

Comments 20
Thumb lubnani.masi7i 29 October 2014, 09:04

عضلات عسكرية في عاشوراء
http://www.annahar.com/article/184447-عضلات-عسكرية-في-عاشوراء-حركة-أمل-لالنهار-أبلغوا-القوى-الامنية-عنهم

Thumb geha 29 October 2014, 09:46

this is an example why sunnis have reasons to resent the army.
why are such hooligans tolerated by the army?

Thumb galaxy 29 October 2014, 10:00

because they are resistance and they are defending their shrines on the streets of Beirut protecting us from ISIS.

Thumb _mowaten_ 29 October 2014, 12:35

lol at the cheap propaganda, keep discussing photoshopped images spread on social media and make sure to ignore the relentless deadly attacks against the LAF

Default-user-icon cityboy (Guest) 29 October 2014, 12:58

You beat me to it mowaten. I was thinking the same thing, exactly the same! It had to be photoshop what else could it be! We are so so similar: we are both narcissists, both shia extremists who pretend to be moderates, both have an inferiority complex, both pretend to be secular, and both have multiple accounts. I just hope readers don't think we are the same poster.

Thumb _mowaten_ 29 October 2014, 15:45

get a life terrorist aka cityboy (guest), this is way too pathetic, even for you.

Default-user-icon flamethrower__..._____....#^^^ (Guest) 29 October 2014, 11:32

@geha. do you know why I was banned? I don't like to post as guest and prefer to post under my original name(:

Default-user-icon blablablablabla and one more bla (Guest) 29 October 2014, 11:49

don't worry FT, I am voting them down as much as I can. I have many many accounts but now I am laying low because they seem to be deleting any new accounts I make. Hang in there my friend

Default-user-icon Captain-AutoPilot (Guest) 29 October 2014, 10:28

I used to visit naharnet just to read Flamethrower's comments. Now that he is banned, I am enjoying all the comments he posts as a guest every 5 minutes.

Default-user-icon karim--. (Guest) 29 October 2014, 11:23

down with the iranian funded hezbollah

Thumb marcus 29 October 2014, 11:46

The army is doing a good job but it needs to equally root out the outlaws of amal and hizballah. We cannot build a nation if a bearded sunni is considered a terrorist while a bearded shia is considered resistance and as such is above the law. The fallacy of resistance is long gone and expired. No nation has its armed forces exist side by side with an armed sectarian militia made up of one sect.

Default-user-icon khomeinist (Guest) 29 October 2014, 13:03

mowaten & whatwhat., a naharnet bromance...

Default-user-icon OUCH (Guest) 29 October 2014, 13:08

look at mowaten hehehe, cheering for a fake account OUCH! well said flamethrower!

Thumb marcus 29 October 2014, 13:41

If you want to debate mr. mowaten, then don't delete people's comments when they reply to you. I said and still say nasrallah is above the law. If this comment deserves to be deleted, then no wonder why people are about to revolt.

Thumb _mowaten_ 29 October 2014, 15:59

i didnt delete anything, nor even report it. and if you notice my comments too were deleted, blame naharnet. or thank them for saving you from the public humiliation.

Default-user-icon geha (Guest) 29 October 2014, 13:00

mowaten aka whatwhat; you sound like an immature kid completely disconnected from reality, just trying to build some silly rationale based on bits & pieces of propaganda and lies.

Missing --karim. 29 October 2014, 13:35

God bless the Lebanese Army for protecting Lebanon from the savagely, Saudi-funded FSA-Al Qaeda-ISIS jihadist salafist terrorists.

Default-user-icon karim--. (Guest) 29 October 2014, 13:39

down with the iranian funded hezbollah

Thumb -phoenix1 29 October 2014, 14:07

OK, though my business no longer depends entirely on its Lebanon operation, but I also must let everyone know: that when the Lebanese Army moves forward, business rapidly takes a turn for the better. Now we may ask why, the answer couldn't be simpler, the People of Lebanon gain trust in their country and its most important constitutional institution, the Lebanese Army, so when the army does the job, public confidence follows in the advances. Let please, let the LAF continue their push forward, continue to hit with a fist of pure stainless steel, continue to assert its authority over ALL the land, Lebanon will quickly turn into the country we ALL want to see. What would be even better, a lot better, is for the Army to Install Military Rule and jail all them mafia politician, M8, M14 and the M in between.

Thumb al.finique 29 October 2014, 14:26

I agree with you bro. My business like yours has outlets to Iran and North Korea and is not entirely dependent on its Lebanon operation. I have recently partnered with HA operatives in Africa and we are working on finding a cure for Ebola.
Cheers