LA: Daesh Emir killed, 10 Militants Arrested in Army Op

Local Editor

The Lebanese Army Saturday killed a Wahhabi Daesh [Arabic acronym for "ISIS" / "ISIL"] emir in a stealthy operation in the northeastern border town of Arsal, arresting 10 other suspected militants.

The Daesh emir had been identified as a Syrian fugitive from the al-Halabi family.

It added that the Daesh commander was nicknamed "Al-Mallees" from the Syrian town of Qara in a rural Damascus province near the Lebanese border.

"He is one of the terrorists who issued a fatwa to execute Lebanese servicemen," the Hezbollah War Media Center said.

Nine soldiers had been held captive since Daesh, along with Jabhat Fatah al-Sham - formerly the Al-Qaeda-linked 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. Some were killed in captivity, however, and nine army personnel are still being held by Daesh.

The media center said that the army raid targeted the house of a "suspected terrorist" identified as Wael Deeb Fleiti in Arsal's Wadi al-Hosn neighborhood, the media center reported, adding that an army intelligence unit also took part in the raid.

It added that Fleiti, "one of the most dangerous terrorists," was arrested with his brother Hussein, along with a number of Syrian and Lebanese fugitives.

They are wanted over arms smuggling and supporting extremist groups.

Syrian nationals Ahmad Miman, Abdullah Hesyan, Majd Shahli, and Fawzi Sahli were among the identified detainees.

The Syrians allegedly entered the country through the Lebanese-Syrian border to the northeast.

The Lebanese Army confirmed the operation in a statement, saying that ten "dangerous terrorists" had been arrested.

They were apprehended in a "swift and sudden raid" in the northeastern border town.

No casualties from the raid were reported on the army side, the statement added.

The army and security forces had been cracking down on sleeper cells as part of a comprehensive security plan.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team