BEIRUT: There were conflicting
reports Wednesday of the fate of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims who were kidnapped in
Syria in May, amid reports of at least 30 fatalities from air raids in the area
where the pilgrims are thought to be held.
Lebanon’s LBC said the Foreign
Ministry and political sides had been informed that all 11 of the hostages were
killed in an air raid. It also said they had been informed of the death of one
of the kidnappers, Abu Ibrahim.
Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan
Mansour, speaking to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television station, denied that his
ministry had received notification of the deaths of the pilgrims.
A doctor in Azaz told Reuters agency
that 30 people were killed during an air raid in the area.
Speaking to LBCI TV, Brig. Ahmad
Ghazaleh, a member of Azaz’s rebels, said the Syrian army had bombarded the
area from the air which led to the killing of scores of people, including four
of the abducted Lebanese pilgrims.
Earlier Wednesday, Al-Jadeed TV,
citing information it had obtained, said four of the 11 Lebanese who were
kidnapped in Syria in May were killed in an air raid.
The station said the four pilgrims
were killed when a Mig-29 jet struck Azaz in Aleppo, northwest Syria.
It also said that 15 of the
kidnappers were killed in the raid.
At least two individuals, including
Abu Ibrahim, one of the kidnappers, were wounded in the attack, Al-Jadeed said.
The 11 men were kidnapped in May in Syria
shortly after crossing from Turkey. They were heading back to Lebanon after a
pilgrimage to Iran.http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Aug-15/184781-4-of-11-lebanese-pilgrims-kidnapped-in-syria-killed-in-air-raid-report.ashx#axzz23dVigVXM
No comments:
Post a Comment