Naharnet

4 Lebanese Held in Akkar's al-Mhammara, 17 Syrians in Bekaa

The army on Thursday arrested four people during raids in the town of al-Mhammara in the northern Akkar district, which has recently witnessed deadly clashes between troops and Islamist gunmen.

“Khaled Mohammed al-Shamali, Mahmoud Hussein Moussa, Ahmed Faraj al-Shamali and Faraj Mohammed al-Shamali were arrested in al-Mhammara for taking part in recent armed attacks against army troops,” the Army Command said in a communique.

“An assault rifle, an anti-vehicle hand grenade, quantities of light-caliber ammunition and military equipment were seized in the possession of Khaled al-Shamali,” the army added.

In an earlier statement, the military said three Syrians were arrested in the Bekaa border area of al-Masnaa on suspicion of “belonging to terrorist groups.”

Another 13 Syrians were arrested in the same operation for entering Lebanon illegally, the statement added.

The army has been carrying out a major crackdown in Sidon, Tripoli and Minieh for the past two weeks, in the wake of unprecedented clashes with Islamist militants in Tripoli's old souks and Bab al-Tabbaneh which spread to the nearby town of Bhannine in Minieh.

Eleven troops, five civilians and an unknown number of gunmen were killed in the fierce gunbattles.

Y.R.


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