Muslim Scholars Reach Agreement to Release Officers from Arsal as Labweh Residents Block Aid Convoy

The Muslim Scholars Committee delegation succeeded on Wednesday in reaching an agreement with Islamist gunmen in the northeastern town of Arsal to extend a ceasefire in the area and release a number of officers detained in the region over the weekend.

It said during a press conference: “The ceasefire in Arsal will be extended for 24 hours and the gunmen have started to withdraw from the town.”

MTV television reported that the negotiations between the delegation and the gunmen led to an agreement to release three soldiers, who were detained by the gunmen.

Two of the captives have returned to their families, while the third is on his way home, it added.

The Muslim Scholars Committee said that the ceasefire in Arsal will be extended for 24 hours and the gunmen will begin to withdraw from the town within the deadline.

On the detained soldiers and Internal Security Forces members, the delegation said that 17 ISF members and 10 soldiers are still being held by the gunmen and they are “all alive and well.”

It revealed that it will hold “arduous” negotiations with the gunmen to ensure their release, urging the media to remain objective in its coverage of the developments.

Some false media claims are affecting the negotiations, stressed the delegation.

“None of the residents in Arsal aided the gunmen and the media should remain objective in reporting the news,” it said.

Earlier, residents of the neighboring town of al-Labweh prevented an aid convoy from reaching Arsal on suspicion that the relief may be headed towards the gunmen.

Head of al-Labweh municipality Ramez Amhaz told MTV: “The state does not exist in Arsal and therefore we are stopping the convoy from passing through.”

“Who is this aid headed to? It may fall in the hands of the al-Nusra Front or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,” he declared.

“The gunmen should demonstrate goodwill and release the detained soldiers. We will allow the convoy to pass once that happens,” he demanded.

Commenting on the development, the Muslim Scholars Committee delegation condemned the action, saying: “There is a pressing need for food aid for Arsal and there are wounded who need medical help.”

“Is it acceptable to punish a whole town for the errors of some refugees or residents?” it wondered.

“Arsal is paying the price of the absence of the state. This is shameful,” it declared.

Earlier, clashes between the army and terrorists raged on the outskirts of Arsal.

The state-run National News Agency said the gunbattles concentrated in the areas of Ras al-Sarej, Ain Ata and Wadi al-Raayan.

The army also repelled an attack on a checkpoint in Ain al-Shaab, which lies between Arsal and the town of al-Labweh.

Several militants were killed, the agency said.

Arsal municipal chief Ali al-Hujairi told LBCI that a large number of gunmen withdrew from Arsal. Some remained on its outskirts, he said.

Several residents confirmed his claims, saying the fighters, who overran the town on Saturday, were nowhere to be seen.

The fighting has been raging since the weekend when the army arrested a member of the Qaida-linked Nusra Front. It marks the first time that militants battling Syrian President Bashar Assad have carried out a large-scale incursion into Lebanon.

In an apparent gesture of goodwill, the militants released on Tuesday three policemen whom they had been holding captive along with 17 others.

Scores of soldiers have been killed and injured in the fighting. Another 22 soldiers are missing, possibly having been taken hostage.

Arsal, which lies some 90 kilometers from Beirut, is a predominantly Sunni town of 40,000 whose population has almost tripled because of the presence of Syrian refugees and rebels.

G.K./M.T.

S.D.B.