Sources: Ibrahim in Turkey Next Week over Lebanese Hostages

General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim is expected to travel to Turkey next week to discuss with Qatari officials the case of Lebanese servicemen taken hostage by jihadists last year.

Security sources told al-Akhbar daily published on Friday that Ibrahim, who is the official Lebanese negotiator in the case of the troops and policemen, will inform the Qataris that Lebanon has completed the file on the prisoner exchange which was mediated by Doha's envoy.

The deal reportedly includes the release of 16 soldiers and policemen taken by al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front from the northeastern border town of Arsal last August in return for setting free Islamists from Roumieh prison.

The Islamic State has also taken servicemen as hostages but the negotiations with the extremist group have reached a standstill over its crippling demands.

Ibrahim is expected to inform the Qatari officials that the Lebanese authorities have not backed off from the deal, said the sources. But the problem lies in the failure of the jihadists to settle on specific conditions in the prisoner exchange.

On July 2, the families of the hostages blocked two vital roads in and around Beirut to draw attention to the almost one-year case of the captives and urge the authorities to prioritize it.

They warned that they will hold Prime Minister Tammam Salam responsible for any damage inflicted on the captives.

The protesters also urged Turkey and Qatar to work on releasing their loved ones.

G.K.

D.A.