Retired Soldier Abducted in Arsal as Syrian Man Killed

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An armed group on Tuesday kidnapped a retired army first adjutant from the Bekaa border town of Arsal before taking him to the area's outskirts.

“Retired army first adjutant Mohammed Ahmed al-Hujeiri was abducted by an armed group from his grocery shop in Arsal's Ras al-Sarj,” LBCI television reported.

The group took Hujeiri to its base in the town's outskirts, LBCI added.

One week ago, an armed group from the extremist Islamic State organization stole the pickup truck of retired army first adjutant Muhieddine al-Hujeiri after abducting him for several hours in Arsal's outskirts.

The IS and the Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front have been holding several troops and policemen hostage since August 2, when they overran Arsal and engaged in bloody clashes with the army.

The militants of the two groups have bases in Arsal's outskirts and in the neighboring Syrian region of Qalamun.

Separately, state-run National News Agency said Syrian national Khaled al-Arab was found killed in the Arsal area of Wadi Ata.

It said he was murdered over “disputes between Syrian refugees and gunmen in the town.”

Y.R.