A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Monday, August 28, 2017
Ceasefire called to help facilitate negotiations for release of troops captured during IS raid on Arsal in 2014
Lebanese army say missing troops its "top concern" in its offensive against IS (AFP)
The
Lebanese Army has announced a pause in fighting with Islamic State
militants to help facilitate hostage negotiations for security personnel
IS took prisoner in 2014.
The armed forces launched their campaign against IS militants entrenched
in the mountainous Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud al-Qaa areas on
Lebanon's eastern border in mid-August.
"The army command announces a ceasefire beginning at 7:00 am (0400 GMT)
to make way for the last phase of negotiations linked to the fate of the
kidnapped soldiers," the army said in a statement on Sunday.
Nine prisoners are believed still to be held by IS after militants
overran the Lebanese border town of Arsal in August 2014 and kidnapped
30 soldiers and police.
Four were killed by their captors and a fifth died of his wounds, while 16 were released in a prisoner swap in December 2015.
The army has said the remaining missing personnel were its "top concern"
in its offensive against an estimated 600 IS fighters in the rugged
border region.
"There has been no timeframe set" for the truce, an army source told AFP.
"The negotiations are ongoing for IS to withdraw and provide information on the fate of the troops," the source said.
Six Lebanese army soldiers have been killed since 19 August.
Fraught negotiations
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched its own simultaneous attack
against IS from the Syrian side of the border in an area known as west
Qalamun.
Hezbollah's War Media channel also announced a freeze in fighting on Sunday.
It said the unilateral pause was "in the framework of a comprehensive
agreement to end the battle in west Qalamun against Daesh [IS]".
Lebanon's army insisted it was not coordinating its assault with Hezbollah.
The IS and the then al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front militants who
attacked Arsal in 2014 withdrew soon afterwards under a truce deal, but
took the 30 hostages from Lebanon's security forces with them.
Al-Nusra and IS each executed two of their hostages, and a fifth died of wounds sustained during the fighting in Arsal.
After months of negotiations, al-Nusra handed over 16 of the soldiers
and police in December 2015 in exchange for the release of prisoners
from Lebanese jails and delivery of aid.
The head of Lebanon's General Security body, Major General Abbas
Ibrahim, oversaw the release efforts in 2015. He is also expected to be
behind negotiation efforts for the nine soldiers still in IS hands.
The army's operation comes after Hezbollah carried out its own six-day
campaign in July further south on the border area against al-Nusra, now
known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham after breaking off ties with IS last
year.
That offensive ended with a ceasefire under which 8,000 refugees and IS
militants were transported to northwestern Syria in return for the
release of five captured Hezbollah fighters.