Qahwaji Vows to Apprehend Arsal Assailants as Army Continues to Bolster Presence in Town
Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji stressed that the army will not compromise in the pursuit of the assailants in the Arsal clash, reported As Safir newspaper on Monday.
He told the daily: “We will pursue the perpetrators wherever they are and to whichever side they are affiliated with.”
No one can exploit this issue through fueling sectarianism, he declared.
“We will cut the arm that harms the army,” stressed Qahwaji.
Meanwhile, As Safir reported that the army has continued to bolster its presence in the Bekaa town of Arsal, by deploying checkpoints on all of the entrances of the town.
It has so far arrested a number of wanted suspects, without giving the exact figure, it added.
Voice of Lebanese radio (93.3) reported on Monday that 11 suspects have so far been arrested for being involved in Friday's clash.
General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi denied however to An Nahar daily Monday that 30 arrest warrants had been issued against suspects in the clash.
A file in the incident has been compiled and sent to the Army Intelligence in order for the appropriate measures to be taken.
He stated that he is overseeing the intelligence's investigations and no arrest warrants have yet been issued.
The clash erupted as the army was pursuing a suspect wanted on terrorism charges.
Two officers, Pierre Bashaalani and Ibrahim Zahraman, and the suspect, Khaled Hmayyed, were killed in the clash.
Military sources told As Safir that one of the arrested suspects is a Muslim cleric who is accused of creating incitement against an army patrol that was involved in Hmayyed's pursuit.
They stressed that the military institution is intent on apprehending all sides involved in the clash “in a manner that preserves the integrity of the state and army.”
They revealed: “The army is distinguishing between the majority of the residents of Arsal and armed groups that grew in power as the Syrian crisis developed.”
These groups are attempting to impose their authority in Arsal outside of that of the state, they explained.
Moreover, these groups have been implicated in five assaults against the army deployed in the region.
A military source meanwhile told An Nahar that Bashaalani was not killed accidentally in the clash.
The criminals wanted to send a message to the army and the slain officers were murdered “with sharp objects in a Taliban-style execution.”
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/70625 |