Hussein Youssef, father of one of the nine soldiers held hostage by the Islamic State since 2014, stressed Sunday, on behalf of the families of the hostages, that they will keep supporting the case of releasing the abducted soldiers until the last moment, noting that are keeping contact with Prime Minister Tammam Salam.
Youssef regretted the fact that they had to return to the streets to remind the authorities of their cause, urging the Lebanese government to find a solution for this issue and assume its responsibility in this regard.
The 2014 clashes in the northeastern border town of Arsal began when militants from the Nusra Front and the Islamic State stormed the village following the army’s arrest of a prominent Syrian rebel commander.
As the militants withdrew on Aug. 7, they took with them over 30 soldiers and policemen into the rugged outskirts of the town.
Over the course of the following months, both Nusra and IS executed a number of servicemen while others were released.
Meanwhile, negotiations were taking place in order to free the soldiers and policemen with many mediators on the line to ensure the success. It was not until December 2015, that Nusra released 16 Internal Security Forces personnel and Army soldiers in a prisoner exchange.
However, the nine soldiers held by IS remain in captivity as their whereabouts remain unknown.