Chief of Staff from Eastern Border: Army in Open War against Terrorism
Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Hatem Mallak on Friday visited military units deployed on the eastern border in the al-Qaa, Ras Baalbek and Arsal areas, inspecting their measures on the ground and giving the necessary instructions to the officers and soldiers, the National News Agency said.
Mallak lauded the units' “efforts and sacrifices over the past days in terms of striking terrorists sneaking towards the town of Arsal and the refugee camps, and therefore protecting residents and keeping them safe from clashes, in addition to securing the delivery of food and medical aid to these camps in coordination with the red cross,” NNA said.
“The army's war against terrorism will remain open until the liberation of the last inch of the eastern border region, and the upcoming battle will be decisive and the army will inevitably emerge victorious, the same as it won all the previous confrontations against the terrorist groups,” Mallak vowed.
He also called on soldiers to show “more vigilance and to remain prepared to carry out the missions that are expected in the near future.”
Mallak's visit comes amid reports of preparations by the army for an offensive against the jihadist Islamic State group in the outskirts of the border towns of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek.
The area has witnessed an exchange of shelling in the past 48 hours.
The chief of staff's visit also comes in the wake of a Hizbullah assault in Arsal's outskirts that managed to oust al-Nusra Front's jihadists from the area.
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