BEIRUT: A Lebanese minister Saturday succeeded in partially opening a vital road that has been blocked by relatives of a captured soldier while two of the soldiers contacted their families by phone and asked them maintain pressure on the government.
Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi visited the protesters in Qalamoun and voiced his solidarity with the family of Ibrahim Samir Mgheit, who is among at least 23 soldiers and policemen captured by ISIS and the Nusra Front.
The minister asked the relatives to partially open the international highway in both ways to facilitate the movement of traffic between Beirut and the northern city of Tripoli.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tammam Salam said the government's only priority was to secure the release of the captured men, who were taken during battles between Lebanese Army and militants from Syria on Aug. 2
“Lebanon will not be defeated in front of the challenges facing it particular the wave of terror,” Salam said during his meeting with a delegation at the Grand Serail.
He stressed on the importance of Lebanese standing in solidarity with each other “so that we can confront the current challenges, primarily the crisis of the captured Lebanese soldiers.”
A local television station reported that soldiers Pierre Geagea and George Khazaqah contacted their families and asked them to block roads and hold protests for their release.
In videos posted by both the Nusra Front and ISIS, the two groups holding the soldiers, the troops along with the policemen have asked their families to block roads to pressure the government to negotiate with militants or else they would be killed.
Families of the captured men took to the streets and blocked several vital roads in the country including the Qalamoun road. The protests escalated after ISIS executed one of the captives.
ISIS and Nusra Front handed over their demands to a Qatari delegation that visited them Friday.
The Qatari mediation came a day after the government rejected the militants’ primary demand to swap the hostages with Islamist detainees held in Roumieh Prison.
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