New Information Add Mystery to al-Sayyed's Beheading

The corpse of Sergeant Ali al-Sayyed, who was beheaded by jihadists on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, sustained two gunshots, As Safir newspaper reported on Thursday.

The daily said that it wasn't clear yet if al-Sayyed was shot before or after his decapitation.

The body of al-Sayyed was checked by a coroner, who confirmed the report.

In August, the army engaged in deadly clashes with militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front in and around the Bekaa border town of Arsal.

The gunmen abducted around several troops and policemen during the fighting.

A few of them have since been released, two were beheaded by the IS, including al-Sayyed, while the rest remain held by the militants.

The government has sought Qatar's help to ensure their safe release and the negotiations are being led by General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim.

Al-Sayyed was shown in a video posted on YouTube on August 4, in which he appeared to be forced to declare his defection from the Lebanese army.

And Two days later the IS published grisly photos apparently showing a militant cutting off al-Sayyed's head, whose authenticity was initially questioned by military sources.

H.K.

G.K.