Families Fear for IS-Held Troops as Hizbullah Presses Assault on Nusra
Families of nine Lebanese servicemen held hostage since 2014 by the jihadist Islamic State group have expressed concerns over the fate of their sons, amid an unprecedented offensive by Hizbullah aimed at ousting all militants from the Lebanese-Syrian border region.
“I don't know how the battle will move forward but I have witnessed that the pressure is focused in a certain direction,” Hussein Youssef, the father of captive soldier Mohammed Youssef, says in an interview with LBCI TV, referring to the fact that Hizbullah's operation has so far been focused on the jihadist al-Nusra Front group although IS also has posts in the border region.
“We have nine servicemen (in IS captivity). What is their situation and what is their fate amid this pressure, bombardment and battles?” Youssef wondered.
“I'm not asking for stopping anything and I'm not saying that we should turn into a card of pressure... but everyone in this battle is responsible for the fate of these servicemen, whether the outcome turns out to be positive or negative,” he added.
He also warned that the families “will not accept accept that these servicemen turn into a victim” of any military developments.
The fate of the nine servicemen has been shrouded with mystery for around two years now and their families have organized numerous street protests to press authorities to unveil their fate and secure their release.
The nine men were among more than 30 troops and policeman who were abducted during the deadly 2014 battle the Lebanese army and IS and Nusra jihadists in and around the northeastern border town of Arsal. Four of the servicemen were eventually executed by the two groups as a fifth died of his wounds.
And while al-Nusra released 16 captives as part of a 2015 swap deal with the Lebanese state, the fate of the nine hostages who were kidnapped by IS remains unknown.
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