Report: Nine Pilgrims Released in Exchange for 150 Million Dollars
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Progress in the release of the nine Lebanese pilgrims held in Syria's Aazaz region was achieved by Qatar on Wednesday, reported al-Liwaa newspaper on Saturday.
A Turkish source told the daily that Qatar crowned its negotiations with the kidnappers by paying them 150 million dollars for the release of the pilgrims who were abducted in Syria's Aleppo region in May 2012.
The deal also included that General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim and Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiya would accompany the pilgrims from Turkey, where they were released, to Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport.
Ibrahim had said on Friday that the pilgrims could be in Lebanon within 48 hours.
He had traveled to Istanbul during the week in order to put the finishing touches to the captives' release.
Al-Liwaa added that as part of the deal, Qatar sought to receive guarantees from Ibrahim that the two Turkish pilots kidnapped in Lebanon in August were doing well.
The consequent release of a video of the pilots on Tuesday was part of that deal, the Turkish source told the daily.
Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped in Syria's Aleppo region in May 2012 as they were making their way back to Lebanon by land from pilgrimage in Iran. Two of them were released in late 2012.
The abductors, the rebel Northern Storm Brigade, had demanded the release of 282 women detainees from Syrian prisons in return for the nine remaining men.
On August 9, gunmen abducted two Turkish pilots after ambushing a bus carrying Turkish Airlines crew from Rafik Hariri International Airport to a hotel in the city.
The families of the Lebanese abductees accuse Turkey of being behind the kidnapping. They, however, have denied any involvement in the abduction of the Turkish pilots.
A previously unknown group calling itself Zuwwar Imam al-Rida claimed the abduction, and demanded that Turkey use its influence with Syrian rebels it backs to secure the release of the nine pilgrims.
Lebanese authorities have since arrested three suspects and charged them in connection with the pilots' abduction.
19 October 2013, 10:02
210
150 million for 9 shiaa kidnapees.
70 million from the EU for 1.5Million syrian refugees.
Can someone do the math?
19 October 2013, 12:41
133
150 split in 2 gilipolla.
75 millions 4 the Syrian scum
75 millions 4 the hizballa scum
19 October 2013, 10:14
124
There's no pleasing the ungrateful. Qatar gave the ungrateful hundreds of millions of dollars after the 2006 war. They paid her back with derision and accusations of treason. Whether it paid 150 million or not, the Qataris got the 9 so-called pilgrims (an appellation that merits scorn) released. Read the comments of those same ungrateful doubters who don't know how to say thank you even when they are being saved from the fires of hell!
19 October 2013, 14:32
162
just like the "good deeds" of hezbis cloud the brain of the shia they are manipulating! thru their "good deeeds" hezbi are buying the support of their sheep... but your brain is too thick to see that! LOL
19 October 2013, 15:06
48
I dont agree that they bought our conscience. They did a good deed for the "pilgrims" families, and for sunni-shiia relations. We should appreciate it. It doesn't mean that we will accept everything they do in the future.
Qatar obviously wants to come back to Lebanon's scene after it strayed under the leadership of the criminal father of the current ruler.
But why on earth are they interested in lebanon... I dont know.
19 October 2013, 16:51
182
suothdern and useless FT: if you were a bit "intelligent" you would see that hezbis just act as ANY islamist extremist group to buy the support of people... the same way hamas, muslim brotherhoods distributes food, social welfare, and so on hezbis do the same...
but your brains are too thick to realize that... your denial in seeing that hezbi are the EXACT same thing as those sunni extremists is amazing and even pityful... but happy the simple minded as the doors of heaven are open to them, lucky you!
19 October 2013, 12:40
143
They r disgusting people. The pilgrims r worth 20$ each. They should have let them rot till Syria gets freed.
19 October 2013, 12:58
133
We wanna c them grateful, and humiliate their hizballa scum boss in public.
19 October 2013, 14:41
143
what a zeal to free 9 pilgrims... they never showed that zeal to ask for the lebanese in the syrian prisons to such an extent that some told them to forget about them and turn the page... maybe if the lebanese in syrian jails were hezbis they would have.... LOL
19 October 2013, 15:04
10
good deal next time turkish&Qatar joint venture should buy beirut and we're should build new blue mosque there : )
19 October 2013, 15:11
112
The pilgrim families taught us a lot. If someone gets kidnapped in Lebanon by an assadist proxy, to release him, his family will have to kidnap 2 iranian businessmen (or pilots).
After that it is automatic, Iran will pressure the chabbiha of Assad to release him.
19 October 2013, 15:14
162
A great day for the collateral victims.
Brigadier General Abbas Ibrahim should seek the Death Penalty for the abductors of the Turkish Pilots, especially that he knows who they are.
Such lawlessness should not be tolerated in Lebanon.
19 October 2013, 16:45
216
smarty seems you're not smart enough in what concerns law, kidnapping does not lead to death penalty it leads to a jail under hard work. The only things that lead to death sentence is murder, attempt for murder usually not death sentence but prison to life starting of one count to many. Go learn
19 October 2013, 16:52
172
funny to see how M8ers brain bug on this issue... how come qatar help hezbis! LOL
20 October 2013, 03:05
00
It is money the Qataris will give anyways to the rebels for weapons and ammunitions against Bachar. Plus now they can sound like good people doing good deeds. The Cancerous KSA , Qatar, US v/s Cancerous Iran, Hezbollah , Syria. Same coin, different faces. That's it that's all stop cheerng right and left for those people who bring nothing but destruction to our country, and specially their supporters who are dogs loyal to their masters for their daily bone.
20 October 2013, 16:57
00
من اين هي هذه المصادر بدفع مبلغ كهذا من الممكن ان يكون مستحقات للجيش الحر من قطر التي دعمته منذ انطلاقته فكفى مزايدات
21 October 2013, 02:16
00
They would have given the money to the terrorist mercenaries in Syria regardless.
