Islamists Free 5 Security Captives, Deny Imminent Release of Christian Abductees
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.
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