Soldier Missing, Another Hurt in Clashes with Jihadists in Arsal Plains
An army soldier went missing and three others were hurt in fresh clashes Thursday with Islamist gunmen in Arsal's outskirts, state-run National News Agency reported.
The fighting first erupted after an army patrol was attacked in the al-Rahweh area.
“An army soldier was martyred in the clashes that erupted in Arsal's barren mountains as militants tried to sneak into the positions of the army, which repelled them and shelled their posts with artillery,” NNA said.
Three troops were also injured in the fighting, according to the agency.
But the army later issued a communique announcing that “a military vehicle carrying five troops was ambushed in Arsal's al-Rahweh valley at the hands of terrorist militants.”
“Consequently, army forces waged an attack on the gunmen, in which it managed to liberate four of the soldiers,” the army added.
“A terrorist vehicle equipped with a 23mm anti-aircraft gun was destroyed and those inside it were killed or wounded," it said.
The military confirmed that a soldier went missing and another was injured in the clashes.
Meanwhile, Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji contacted Prime Minister Tammam Salam to brief him on the incidents, according to NNA.
According to al-Jadeed television, Arsal's outskirts are currently witnessing artillery shelling and fierce clashes.
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced earlier that “a soldier was abducted and another was wounded,” citing preliminary reports.
He revealed that a cabinet session will be held “within the next three days” to discuss the security situation.
NNA said the army liberated the four soldiers following fierce clashes with gunmen belonging to al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Arsal's Wadi al-Raayan and Wadi al-Hawa areas.
Earlier, media reports said an army post came under attack by militants from the IS and al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front in the al-Rahweh region.
Heavy fighting ensued as MTV said rocket-propelled grenades were used in the fighting.
The army has since brought reinforcements to the area, reported LBCI television.
Overnight, the army repelled an attack by the jihadists on its base in the Wadi Hmeid area of Arsal, leaving casualties among their ranks, NNA reported.
It said the militants advanced on the base on Wednesday night and sought to isolate it to advance towards the town of Arsal, which lies about 90 kilometers from Beirut.
But the troops engaged in heavy gunbattles with the fighters, leaving several of them wounded, the agency said.
It was not clear if the fighters belonged to the Islamic State or al-Nusra Front, whose members fought the army for several days earlier this month.
The army has yet to issue a communique on the details of the fighting.
The Arsal clashes first erupted on August 2 when the military arrested an al-Nusra Front official.
It was the most dangerous spillover from Syria and raised fears of the advance of the Islamic State on Lebanon.
The fighters withdrew from Arsal after a ceasefire was brokered by Muslim scholars. But they took with them hostages from the army and security forces.
G.K./M.T./Y.R.
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