Muslim clerics deny receiving contacts from kidnappers of Lebanese...

3^min

The Association of Muslim Scholars has denied receiving any contacts from those who kidnapped the Lebanese troops in Arsal, and said it is committed to suspending mediation efforts in the captives dossier.

In this regard, the association reiterated that its official page on Facebook is the sole reliable source of information issued by the committee.

On Saturday (August 30), the al-Nusra Front released four Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers and one Internal Security Forces member it had kidnapped during the clashes with the Lebanese Army in Arsal earlier in August.

The five men were identified as Ahmad Ghieh, Ibrahim Shaaban, Saleh al-Baradei, Mohammad al-Qaderi and Wael Darwish.

Clashes flared up on August 01 when Syrian gunmen deployed across the region after the Lebanese Armed Forces arrested Imad Jomaa at a checkpoint. The clashes left at least 20 soldiers dead and 86 injured.

Imad Jomaa, the Fajr al-Islam Brigade leader, was accused along with other Syrian nationals, of belonging to armed terrorist organizations, carrying out terrorist attacks and attempting to control Lebanese regions in a bid to establish their "emirate".

On Thursday (August 07), a military source stated that a truce in Arsal appeared to be holding and the situation in the border town was quiet.

The Muslim Scholars Association had launched an initiative to ensure the return of the kidnapped soldiers and served as a mediator between the gunmen and the Lebanese authorities.

Later on, the Association declared that it will suspend all activities to make way for other sides to deploy efforts in this regard.

The gunmen had issued a list of demands, which include the release of several Islamist inmates from the infamous Roumieh prison. A demand the interior minister had rejected.

Lebanese security officials say the fighters include members of al Qaeda's Syria branch, the Nusra Front, and an al Qaeda splinter group, the Islamic State, which has seized swathes of land in Syria and Iraq.

On August 28, the Islamic State posted photos and a video online reportedly depicting a militant beheading a blindfolded hostage who was identified as LAF Sergeant Ali al-Sayyed.