Army Refers Four IS Detainees to Judiciary

The army on Monday referred four detainees from the extremist Islamic State group to the relevant judicial authorities.

In a statement, the military said the Syrians Mohammed Hassan al-Mehanna, Mohsen Ahmed al-Dhaibeh, Inaam Othman Wazir and Ahmed Sobaih al-Ejji were referred to the judiciary for “belonging to the terrorist IS group and taking part in attacks against army posts and units in Arsal.”

Militants from IS and Fateh al-Sham Front (formerly al-Qaida's Syrian branch) are entrenched in rugged areas along the undemarcated Lebanese-Syrian border and the army regularly shells their posts while Hizbullah and the Syrian army have engaged in clashes with them on the Syrian side of the border.

The two groups briefly overran the town of Arsal in August 2014 before being ousted by the army after days of deadly battles.

The retreating militants abducted more than 30 troops and policemen of whom four have been executed and nine remain in the captivity of the IS group.