Army Deserter Killed in Akkar Shootout
An Army Intelligence unit shot dead on Wednesday a Lebanese military deserter in the northern district of Akkar, the military said.
Corporal Atef Saadeddine died during a shootout with the intelligence patrol, it said in a communique.
The incident took place near the town of al-Bireh where soldiers were raiding a house where he was hiding.
Saadeddine, 26, faces desertion charges since he disappeared in the eastern Bekaa Valley almost two years ago.
He defected to the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front in neighboring Syria claiming in a video that his move came as a result of the injustice against Sunnis in Lebanon.
In the 6-minute long video, he also called on Lebanese soldiers to take a similar step.
Islamists in the country claim that Sunnis are facing harassment by the army, which they accuse of working under the command of Hizbullah.
The army communique said Saadeddine was injured when he fought alongside terrorists who overran the northeastern border town of Arsal in August 2014.
The deserter was also involved the fighting between troops and jihadists in the northern city of Tripoli and surrounding areas in October of the same year, it added.
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