Report: Communication Broken with Abductors of Servicemen
Security sources said on Tuesday that contacts between the Lebanese state and the abductors of the servicemen to negotiate their release have been cut for a long time, al-Akhbar daily reported.
The contacts between the government and the leadership of the Islamic State group have been cut off for a long time after the IS refused to hand the party, mediating a release, any clue of the destiny of the abducted soldiers, said the daily.
Lawyer and activist Nabil al-Halabi who has been involved in negotiations to free the abductees said on his Facebook page that he had met an IS mediator three times before the final negotiations to release the servicemen stopped.
He pointed out that the data provided then stated that eight servicemen out of nine were still alive, according to the daily.
The hostages' families vowed this week to resume their street protests to press authorities to address the case.
The fate of the nine servicemen has been shrouded with mystery for several months now and the families are demanding to know whether their sons are alive or dead.
The soldiers and policemen were among more than 30 servicemen who were abducted during the deadly 2014 battle between jihadists and the Lebanese army in and around the northeastern border town of Arsal.
While al-Nusra Front released 16 captives as part of a swap deal in December 2015, nine hostages remain in the captivity of the IS group and Lebanese officials have vowed to exert efforts to secure their release.
Source: Naharnet
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