Army Distances Itself from Abused Syrians Video
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The Lebanese army on Monday distanced itself from a video showing troops abusing Syrian detainees in an area where soldiers have battled jihadists, saying the incident was "isolated."
The video, which appeared online over the weekend and quickly provoked widespread outrage on social media, shows around 30 Syrian men lying on the ground, some with their hands bound.
A soldier walks over to one man, who is missing the lower part of his right leg, and treads with his boot on the man's thigh.
He asks sarcastically "Am I hurting you?" while prodding the man's neck with his gun.
Other soldiers kick another prone man in the back and face.
A military spokesman confirmed that the army was "aware" of the video but described it as an "isolated incident."
"The Army Command is opposed to this kind of behavior and endeavors to treat all detainees well," he said.
"Every soldier who carries out acts of this kind will be held responsible," he added.
The video was supposedly filmed in the Arsal region of eastern Lebanon on the border with Syria, and appears to have been taken by a soldier because it is shot at close range.
Last month, Lebanese troops battled jihadists who entered from Syria in the Arsal area, and around 30 Lebanese soldiers and policemen are still being held hostage after the end of the clashes.
Three of them have been killed, two beheaded by the Islamic State group, and a third shot dead by al-Nusra Front, al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate.
Since the third execution, the army has stepped up shelling of jihadist positions in the Arsal region.
It has also carried out multiple raids targeting Syrian refugees, particularly at informal camps in the region, and arrested several Lebanese citizens as well.
Syrian activists have reported increasing tensions with Lebanese residents in the wake of the violence in Arsal, and the kidnappings and executions.
There are more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which has a population of just four million citizens and has kept the border open to those fleeing the conflict in its neighbor.
22 September 2014, 17:19
1410
the same video I posted and Flamethrower with his 50 accounts kept deleting. LOL now naharnet reports on it.
22 September 2014, 17:39
711
Are you offended we are treating your jihadist friends in such a way? You are a disgrace and you are pathetic, and more ironically, only in Lebanon do some Christians sympathize with terrorist that consider them infidels. You deserve what is coming to you.
23 September 2014, 11:17
25
"The video, which appeared online over the weekend and quickly provoked widespread outrage on social media"
lol not in my (face)book! i probably dont have enough terrorist-loving friends, cause i didnt see anyone give a rat's behind about some terrorist scum getting slapped around.
23 September 2014, 11:21
25
and for those whining here, i wish i had seen you condemn so vehemently the beheading of our troops.
22 September 2014, 17:40
810
Naharnet is run by right-wing LF Christian tools that actually sympathize with ISIS and Nusra. They consistently delete my comments and my account, literally every week, because they are a bunch of tools, proud to support terrorists.
22 September 2014, 17:44
52
I sometimes used to visit naharnet not to read its one sided articles but to read Flamethrower's comments. Now, I visit it all the time to read the truth reported by Flamethrower and Mowaten.
22 September 2014, 17:48
125
As much as I dislike siding with FT et.al., I watched the video several times and did not see evidence of torture. Abuse and conduct unbecoming, sure - but not torture.
The LAF is facing a brutal and savage enemy, cut them some slack.
My two cents worth.
22 September 2014, 17:52
710
Lebnanfirst you seem to be quite a genuine reasonable guy who is not blinded by hatred like the other tools on here. The army is currently waging fierce battles with jihadists whose friends just cut off the heads of these soldiers' colleagues and friends. These idiots here want the army to pamper them and offer them spa treatment. Really! Like honestly, really!
22 September 2014, 17:53
811
Careful, ex-fpm and Naharnet are sympathetic with these terrorist groups... they will likely delete your comments and ban your account shortly. Ashrafieh should be part of the Islamic Caliphate since these idiots are so happy to support butchers and killers of not only our soldiers, but innocent Christians, Shiites, Yazidis, etc.
22 September 2014, 18:02
88
You know what lebanese_soldier, I couldn't care less, they can delete my comments and my account. All that will do is confirm that the truth hurts.
I am sick of reading some of these comments on here. All they do is say the same thing hezbollah brought this on us. Let's say I agree, let's say hezbollah truly did bring on us. Well it's on us now so what are we supposed to do? Just bend over and take it. The blame game is outdated now. We must unite behind our army and fight
22 September 2014, 18:10
33
@ebaneseArmySupporter ; Your comment is baseless and not necessary true.
22 September 2014, 18:15
115
Abuse happens in time of war and we are at war, but this should not be conssidered normal and encouraged...
As for falme and co. are u complete idiots, march14 were asking for camps so that we know who came and were they are and tgat the syrian refugies doesnot become cheap mercenaries without hope, march 14 asked for un and army on all theborders and dissociation from what is happening around (yes u r going to bring oukab sakr and his blankets again, but are u that stupid, is aoun and presidential chair desreve that we enter an intereligious conflict going on for hundreeds of years extending from iran/irak/yemen/syria...
Screw u all with ur stupid thinking, u and ur shiite millicia are dragging us in this retarded war...
22 September 2014, 18:29
116
Easy to comment from australia magnificant roar...
As a phenician ur place is here bro, we need u in yhe land of the cedars, don't stay that far u will be so much better home with people as open minded, tolerant, progressist as u (isis nosra hezbollah...)
U can pass also by central africa say hi to our christian brothers there, they are curently dismembring people in the streets, cuting women breasts they will make u proud...
Yes march14asked for camps, yes march 14 asked for army and un to control borders, ues they warned about repercussion of hezbos involvement in syria, but u prefer to be in the centrr of ali/omar/hussein war, so please come over and stop giving us lessons from thousands of km away....
Don't forget to have a chupachup man...
22 September 2014, 19:24
96
... I could dend u links of march 14 stances 3years ago, but what the need, u want to see only what u want to see...
Good for u, now please after having ur chupachups come back home, the cedar land needs u oh great phenician roar, come enjoy all the divine victories of hussein and ali, in irak yemen syria and now in lebanon...
Retard
22 September 2014, 19:28
94
Now what to do, hezbollah back home, leave iranian revolution gards, houthy, iraki shiite miliciq avange hussein and ali
Put the army on the borders, UN technical support
Make camps and put refugies in on UN watch so they get decent medecine food and shelter (all of us were refugies at one time and might be again...)
U know act like a country, not a banna republic....
22 September 2014, 19:44
94
U are right flame i should get ised to photoshops of OTV or impartial al manar/sana... Bravo now u to go have ur chupachups, i hope u are enjoying the return of the mehdi...
Another retard giving us lessons from a western imperialistic country i suppose.. Ma heik flame?
22 September 2014, 20:29
38
Imagine1979 fair enough let's do what you propose cause that will solve everything. Mate it's too late for being nice. It isn't the first time our country gets abused by foreigners. Hezbollah is not coming back although I wish they would. When stupid douches on here insult the LAF it hey insult every decent Lebanese citizen. Criticise every politician I don't care they are all lousy as far as I'm concerned by our soldiers in the LAF are sacrificing their life for minimum pay. Some respect to our heroes and enough with the rubbish finger pointing.
22 September 2014, 20:52
83
No man
We all mist support laf and even if general mobilisation is needed this is normal, but we must takle the origine of problems if we really want it to stop, u really want the army to be dragged between those retards, in the war brtw hussein and omar, like in yemen/irak....
Is it realky what u want???,
22 September 2014, 22:09
95
Hey paid mouth p., your blunt posts here indicate how your skull s full off,and it is not brain for sure.
22 September 2014, 22:11
93
God protect our army from the so sectarian people like you. God blesd our m14 leaderd or who ever is left.
23 September 2014, 02:49
82
Even the army command faced the incident bravely, this is how wrongs are corrected, not by sweeping them under the rug (and even worse excusing them)like you defend all the abuses committed by your ally Assad.
Best way to handle wrongs is to admit the wrong and have a plan to end it. I am proud of the LAF command position and stand on this issue.
22 September 2014, 17:22
127
There was a very old man in the video too... anyway.. abuse and torture are common practice in the military institution. I always laugh when I read X was arrested by army intelligence and he confessed... Sure he confessed!
22 September 2014, 17:34
136
The biggest sin ever done by the HA and Aoun government was allowing the refugees to pour into Lebanon.
22 September 2014, 17:41
711
But the Syrians and ISIS, Nusra are your allies, you should be happy, I hope they establish their Islamic Caliphate in Ashrafieh and we will see how much longer you idiots support them.
22 September 2014, 18:25
32
iraní supporter, if the army is not controlled by your hizb.. who is allowing HA to go to war in Syria. What is the job of the army then... just salute your militia?
22 September 2014, 18:30
510
Don't try to understand mate. Nothing some of these idiots post makes sense.
They want to attack the only legitimate military institution we have as if there's an alternative. Honestly some people in our dear country have an incredible lack of common sense and logic.
This is their argument "Hezbollah bla bla bla Hezbollah lah la bla bla Hezbollah" Lebanese soldiers are being decapitated and again their arguments is "Hezbollah woof woof bla bla" Unbelievable!
22 September 2014, 18:46
92
On many occasions, certain groups have stolen Army uniforms and caused trouble, I'll leave that to you.
22 September 2014, 19:38
103
Bravo with ur tea, aoun has nice pictured on stavro's book with israelly soldiers, was it before or after tea then, or maybe something else.. But again u have a logic explanation cause aoun the all mighty cannot be wrong..
Now come back roar, come share ur knowledge with us here, don't stay in australia man...
22 September 2014, 20:21
103
Come to Lebanon, you'll figure it out for yourself, instead of sitting behind your PC in Australia, your highness.
22 September 2014, 20:31
102
Yup, let's listen to a foreigner blabber about conspiracy theories, hey guys ALSO let's get involved in Australian politics too!
22 September 2014, 18:58
25
the LAF should not even touch these filth they should burn them all alive
22 September 2014, 20:57
93
Tge one fighting are not coming from mars, i agree thousand came from neigbouring country but most of the fighters are natives, stop always putting the blame on global conspiracy theory, on imperialsits beo nazi zionists.... Yes they do exist and play a role but we are those who endup fighting eachothers, yes hezbollah and mehdi army of hussein and whoever is fighting imar and other retards and theyre dragging us in that mess.. They are proud to be martyr during jihadist duty in irak now!!!
Southern stop that crap, get ur head out of ur arse, take a chupachups and please face reallity
22 September 2014, 22:00
78
The soldiers were too tame with the terrorists. Would the Al Qaeda sympathizers still be barking if these FSA-Nusra-ISIS jihadist terrorists were treated the same way that they treat their own prisoners.
23 September 2014, 06:20
73
and you have nothing to do with logic whatsoever. Were we affected by the war in Afghanistan etc or just after your hizb of terror got us involved in Syria?
23 September 2014, 20:59
00
It is shameful to blame Syrians of what is happening now. Most of them are victims of a sectarian government till that moment. So, Lebanese, don`t make the same mistake, don`t let Hezbbolah to rule in a violent way. You know, Your place is not Syria, make Hezbollah go out. Help Syrians to build democracy, that is all. Don`t deal like You never heard that Assad is killing children and civilians every day. Remember, Syrians are suffering from ISIS also. This is not what they really want.
