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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Major, Sergeant Killed in Majdal Anjar Raid |
| 2010-10-22 |
| Mustaqbal Condemns, Army Warns against Harboring Fugitives [An Nahar] An army major and a sergeant were killed Thursday when their vehicle came under gunfire during an operation against an army deserter in eastern Leb, an army front man said. "A major was martyred during a raid in the town of Majdal Anjar (in the Bekaa Valley) in an attempt to find a deserter who had sought refuge there," the front man told Agence France Presse, declining to disclose his name. Information obtained by Naharnet, however, identified the dead officer as Maj. Abdo Jasser. Sergeant Ziad al-Mayss was also killed in the operation. An AFP correspondent said an exchange of gunfire was heard in the town around 10:00 am (0700 GMT). The eastern Bekaa Valley has historically been known as a safe haven for runaways and gained particular notoriety during the 1975-1990 civil war as a fertile hashish-growing region run by tribes. Three soldiers were killed in an ambush on an army patrol in the Bekaa in April when a prominent clan sought Dire Revenge™ for the killing of one of their members, a drug baron who refused to stop at an army checkpoint. Later Thursday, the Army Command - Orientation Directorate issued a communiqué in which it said that "an army unit has started raiding the hideouts of those involved in the incident, in order to arrest them and refer them to the judicial authorities concerned." The Army Command warned against harboring any of the runaways. For its part, the Mustaqbal Movement, which has a strong political influence in Majdal Anjar, condemned "the despicable crime that led to the martyrdom of an officer and a sergeant," stressing that it "will not rest before the arrest of the perpetrators and bringing them to justice." Mustaqbal stressed that "the army is the guarantee for the Lebanese and the safety of its members, officers and command is equivalent to the safety of the nation and all its citizens," adding that it "stands by the army in the face of all criminals and outlaws." |
| Posted by:Fred |