Lebanese protest execution of captive soldier

Civilians blocked several roads and torched tires in Bazzalieh, protesting against the execution of the Lebanese soldier Ali Bazzal, who had been held in captivity by al Nusra front since August.

The demonstrators were mostly families of Lebanese police and soldiers who were being held captive by the Nusra group since August. The hostages' families had been staging demonstrations in front of government offices in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, for months and were determined to exert more pressure on their government to put an end to the soldiers' ordeal.

Meanwhile, news of the execution also resulted in heavy clashes between the army and militants on Saturday near Arsal, close to the Syrian border, where Lebanese authorities had arrested the former wife of Islamic State head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

'Revenge' for arrests

According to Nusra Front, the arrest of the IS leader's former wife by Lebanese authorities on Wednesday was the reason why the group executed the soldier Bazzal on Friday.

In a statement titled "Who Will Pay the Price?" al Nusra announced: "If the sisters that were unjustly arrested are not released, then after a short period of time the death sentence will be executed against another prisoner we hold."

Bazzal was abducted by the terror group along with 27 other soldiers during a skirmish in August in Arsal. At the time, clerics mediated a truce between Lebanese authorities and militants, in spite of which Nusra abducted nearly 30 army and police hostages.

Al Nusra has executed four Lebanese soldiers since August.

mg/mkg (dpa, AFP, AP)