IS Official al-Raqqawi Found Killed in Arsal
Abu Bakr al-Raqqawi, an official of the extremist Islamic State group, was found killed on Sunday in the restive northeastern border town of Arsal.
Raqqawi was behind the assassination of Internal Security Forces first warrant officer Zaher Ezzeddine in January, state-run National News Agency reported.
Militants from IS and Fateh al-Sham Front -- formerly al-Qaida's Syria affiliate al-Nusra Front -- are entrenched in rugged areas along the undemarcated Lebanese-Syrian border and the army regularly shells their posts while Hizbullah and the Syrian army have engaged in clashes with them on the Syrian side of the border.
The two groups briefly overran the town of Arsal in August 2014 before being ousted by the army after days of deadly battles.
The retreating militants abducted more than 30 troops and policemen of whom four have been executed and nine remain in the captivity of the IS group.
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