Army Clashes with Gunmen in Arsal, Detains Two

Army troops clashed on Friday with an armed group in the Wadi Hmayyed region of the northeastern border town in Arsal, and managed to detain two gunmen.

Army forces located a Chevrolet car in the Wadi Hmayyed heights area in which there were three gunmen, the military institution in a communique.

Troops then immediately followed the car and clashed with the armed men.

Army forces managed to arrest two of the men and seized two Kalashnikov rifles, a quantity of light ammunition, hand grenades and communication and photography devices in their possession, the statement said.

The apprehended men were identified as Lebanese nationals Khaled Ahmed Amoun and Mohammed Riyad Ezzeddine, according to the same source.

The third armed men, however, managed to escape.

Earlier on Friday, the military institution issued a communique saying that “an army checkpoint arrested at 08:30 pm on Thursday the driver of a Hyundai pickup, Khaled Deeb al-Krenbi, who didn't hold any identification papers and had in his possession a gun and its ammo.”

“Two Syrians were detained with Krenbi... Mohammed Abdul Sater and Adullah Mohammed al-Akkouk, who are suspected of fighting against the army in the region of Arsal.”

The army statement said that the detainees were handed over to the competent authority for legal action against them.

The National News Agency had reported earlier that al-Krenbi was smuggling two wanted “terrorists,” who are reportedly the escorts of Imad Ahmed Jomaa, a member of the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front.

Jomaa's arrest prompted clashes on August 2 between the army and Islamist militants in Arsal, which left 19 soldiers, 16 civilians, and dozens of jihadists dead.

He was known to be a member of al-Nusra Front, al-Qaida's Syria franchise, but a video that surfaced in recent weeks shows him pledging allegiance to the Islamic State, which reportedly appointed him as the leader of the extremist Fajr al-Islam Brigade.

Media reports said that the three men were detained at Ain al-Shaab army post.

The detainees were transferred to the army barracks in Ablah region and later moved to Beirut for questioning.

S.D.B. / H.K.

G.K.

Pictures' source: Al-Jadeed television