Lebanese Army ready to confront militants

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Lebanese Army ready to confront militants
Wassim MrouehNidal al-Solh| The Daily Star
04.12.14

BAALBEK, Lebanon: The Lebanese Army is in “good situation” and ready to confront terrorist groups on the frontier with Syria, a senior military source told The Daily Star Wednesday, one day after six soldiers were slain in an ambush by Islamist militants on the northeastern border.

The source’s remarks also came hours after a seventh soldier was killed and two others wounded while trying to dismantle a bomb on the outskirts of Arsal.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said that the Army had its own plan to confront the militants holed up in the northeastern mountainous region, describing the military’s situation as “good.”

“We are ready, but you know it is difficult to know of an ambush ahead of time,” the source said.

The six soldiers were killed when their vehicle was ambushed on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, northeast Lebanon. The affiliations of the militants were not immediately known. But the Army has routinely clashed with jihadi militants from both the Nusra Front and ISIS on the eastern and northeastern border.

Security sources told The Daily Star that the Army raided the site of Tuesday’s attack and arrested more than 10 militants who were said to be of Lebanese and Syrian nationalities. But the source denied that the military had made any arrests.

Earlier Wednesday, the Army, backed by airborne forces, fired artillery shells at militant hideouts along the Syrian border near the area.

Also Wednesday, the Army said that Adjutant Mahmoud Noureddine was killed and two other soldiers wounded as they approached a bomb to dismantle it on the outskirts of Arsal. A military statement said that the wounds of the two soldiers were not serious.

Meanwhile, grief and pain gripped residents in the north and the Bekaa Valley, where the six slain soldiers were laid to rest in their respective villages.

Mourners opened fire in the air in an expression of sorrow as they received the body of Mohammad Sleiman in his Tripoli neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen.

“Welcome martyr! I am celebrating his wedding day today,” Sleiman’s bereaved mother said, as she kissed his military uniform and boots.

Thousands also took part in the funeral of Ali Mohammad, who was buried in the Akkar village of Hadsheet. Rabih Hoda was laid to rest in his village of Ayyat in the same qada.

Similar feelings were evident in the Bekaa Valley, where residents of the Zahle village of Ali al-Nahri buried soldier Mashhad Sharafeddine.

The funeral of soldier Ali Yazbek was held in the village of Hosh al-Rafqa, while Mohammad Sleem was laid to rest in Boudai.

Politicians from across the political spectrum condemned Tuesday’s attack and expressed their full solidarity with the Army.

MPs attending the weekly meeting of Speaker Nabih Berri with lawmakers quoted him as strongly denouncing the ambush, highlighting the need to equip the Army with everything it needed. Berri called on the Lebanese to embrace the Army in its battle against terrorism, stressing that the military was protecting the country and preserving its stability. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri telephoned Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi to extend his condolences and express his firm support for the Lebanese Army in its bid to crush the terrorists.

Hezbollah MP Hussein Musawi slammed the attack, saying that it targeted all the Lebanese.

In a statement, Musawi called for the Army to be given full backing while it pursued militants violating the sovereignty of Lebanese border villages and committing massacres.

He said that rejecting military aid for the Army from friendly states was an unforgivable crime against the nation, a reference to a controversial offer of Iranian assistance that the Lebanese government has not yet accepted.

Defense Minister Samir Moqbel also mourned the loss of the seven soldiers.

According to Moqbel, the militants resorted to “this dishonorable and cowardly method after experiencing the strength, toughness and determination of the Army.”

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian stressed that the attack against the Army was an aggression against all of Lebanon.

In comments made in Cairo, where he is attending a conference, Derian said: “The Lebanese Army is the country’s security valve, and any targeting of its members is a criminal and terrorist act that is not approved by any religion.”

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly joined in the condemnations of the attack.

According to a statement released by his press office, Plumbly paid tribute to the determination and dedication shown by the Lebanese Army in its efforts to maintain security and stability, and underlined the commitment of the U.N. and the international community to support the Army.

The French Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack, repeating its support for Lebanon and its institutions.

Lebanese Forces MP Fadi Karam said that terrorists would fail to prove that the Lebanese Army was unable to protect Lebanon’s borders and MP Talal Arslan also said the Army should receive unconditional support from all the Lebanese.

Separately, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said that winning the freedom of at least 26 servicemen captured by ISIS and the Nusra Front was not happening anytime soon.

“This is an issue that will require a lot of time and will not be resolved soon,” Machnouk said during an interview with MTV television station.

The minister said that Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, the head of the General Security, was officially handling negotiations to release the security personnel.

“There are also negotiations carried out by Health Minister Wael Abu Faour. Nobody else [other than these two] is involved in the negotiations and this issue is being followed upon closely,” he said.

Machnouk said that security services were coordinating on a daily basis over the case, adding that a Syrian mediator appointed by Qatar was still carrying out his job.

Machnouk confirmed that fugitive Shadi Mawlawi, an Islamist who fought deadly battles against the Army in Tripoli in October, had fled to the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh in Sidon.