Joint Army-ISF Efforts to Curb Kidnappings amid Report that Abductors Changing Locations

The Army leadership and the general command of the Internal Security Forces will hold a meeting on Wednesday morning to coordinate their joint efforts in arresting those involved in the latest kidnappings of Syrians and Turkish nationals, An Nahar daily reported.

The newspaper said the meeting will be held at the Defense Ministry in Yarze under the instruction of President Michel Suleiman to investigate the identity of the people who participated in the kidnappings in the past few days and hand them over to the competent judicial authorities.

Suleiman condemned on Tuesday the series of kidnappings, demanding the judicial authorities to “take immediate action” and issue arrest warrants against the perpetrators.

Al-Meqdad clan has claimed the abduction of around 20 Syrians and a Turkish national in retaliation to the rebel Free Syrian Army’s kidnapping of a family member, Hassan al-Meqdad, in Damascus last week.

However the clan said it was not responsible for the disappearance of a second Turkish citizen.

According to An Nahar, several figures responsible for the kidnappings and threats have changed their residences for fears that armed forces would arrest them during raids.

Security forces have asked TV stations to hand them over copies of tapes in which several assailants appear assaulting people on the Beirut airport road and elsewhere, the newspaper said.

Meanwhile, a ministerial committee tasked with following up the issue of the kidnapped Lebanese in Syria held its second meeting on Tuesday.

A ministerial source confirmed to al-Liwaa daily that progress has been made in the negotiations on the abductees but the committee is working away from the media spotlight to reach the desired results.

Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped by armed men in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on May 22. But their fate remains unknown following raids last week by Syrian government forces on Aazaz, the area where they were being held.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, who travelled to Turkey along with General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim last week, told al-Liwaa that his second visit to Ankara hinges on the Turkish authorities’ efforts in gathering information on the whereabouts of the pilgrims.

Turkey, a staunch supporter of the rebel Free Syrian Army, has denied that the 11 men are on its territories.