Conflicting reports surround killing of Lebanese Islamists by Syrian ambush

A cautious calm prevails in Tripoli Saturday amid conflicting reports surrounding the killing of 17 Lebanese Islamists on the Lebanese-Syrian border (Syrian side) on Friday in the area of Tal Sarin in Tal Kalakh.

Meanwhile, a number of young men from the region of al-Mankoubin erected a tent near al-Nour mosque in Tripoli in protest of the nondisclosure of the fate of the young Islamists in Tal Kalakh.

Exclusive sources told LBCI that the young men were killed by an ambush set by the Syrian regime while on their way to Syria. These Salafists who believe in Jihad were reportedly heading to Homs to fight alongside the Free Syrian Army.       

According to unconfirmed information made available to LBCI, not all the men were killed, as a number of them is still alive and returned to Lebanon. The 3 included two members of the Srour family and Abdul Rahman al-Ayoubi from Tripoli. The Srour brothers called their relatives and reassured them that they survived the Syrian ambush which was “set up inside the Lebanese territory,” according to them.      

In this regard, MP Khaled Daher told LBCI that only 4 Lebanese were killed, 2 are detained and the rest are absconded or missing.

For his part, Sheikh Nabil Rhim stressed that there are no accurate information about the exact number of deaths, noting that the number of killed men is a lot less than what has been circulated. He noted that a number of men arrived are now safe with the Free Syrian Army.

Hassan Srour told LBCI that the ambush was set up inside Lebanon, adding that he was currently in a border region.   

Reports also emerged that Lokman al-Ayoubi managed to flee and told the story of the young men, but Ayoubi called LBCI and confirmed that he did not go to Syria; “I am currently in Tripoli and I did not leave the country.”    

Earlier in the night, a number of young men from Tripoli tried to head to the border area to know the fate of the dead and the location of the bodies which were reportedly buried at the scene of the ambush.        

In this regard, Sheikh Walid Tabbouch told LBCI that the situation is calm and that they absorbed the tragedy, adding that two members of the Srour family survived the ambush and they are safe and sound. “I hope that the residents of Jabal Mohsen will take this incident calmly,” he said.