General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim has said two mediators were involved in the case of the ISIS-abducted Lebanese soldiers, one of whom is in Daesh’s (ISIS) Syrian stronghold of Raqqa.
Ibrahim revealed in remarks to Al-Joumhouria newspaper Friday that the first negotiator was in the northeastern border town of Arsal, while the second was in Raqqa.
The senior security chief added that the Lebanese General Security had tasked the two mediators with negotiating with the abductors to reveal their fate.
"We can say that the process and the negotiation via the mediators, whether the [servicemen] are alive or martyrs, are serious. We insist on knowing their fates to sooth the families who deserve to know," Ibrahim reportedly told the newspaper.
Hussein Youssef, the families’ spokesperson, told The Daily Star Friday that “Ibrahim pointed the matter out during a meeting with them in Beirut’s Riad al-Solh campsite.”
“He (Ibrahim) knows what he’s talking about. He’s trustworthy and we hope they will be able to end this case.”
The families of the nine soldiers held hostage by Daesh (ISIS) were given a lifeline Thursday after receiving assurances from President Michel Aoun and Ibrahim that authorities were pushing for a resolution.
Youssef, the father of soldier Mohammad Youssef, told The Daily Star Thursday that "the meeting meant a lot for us and it boosted our spirits because the president showed his understanding in this case."
The nine soldiers have been held captive since Daesh, along with Jabhat Fatah al-Sham – previously known as the Nusra Front – briefly overran the northeast border town of Arsal in August 2014.
More than 30 soldiers and policemen were initially captured but most were released. However, some were killed in captivity. Nine army personnel are still being held by Daesh.
Aoun assured the families that he has been following up on the issue from the beginning and that he would continue with their case while he makes international visits.
The president will lead a high-ranking ministerial delegation on a visit that begins Monday in Saudi Arabia, followed by Qatar.
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