Families of hostages have new ultimatum for government

BEIRUT: Families of the 27 Lebanese soldiers and policemen held by Islamist militants Monday threatened a “day of rage” if the government failed to show significant progress toward the release of the hostages within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, the head of the General Security, who is negotiating a deal to secure the release of the servicemen, held talks with senior Qatari officials over the case.

“We give the government and political figures 48 hours before we launch a ‘day of rage’ Wednesday,” said a statement on behalf of the hostages’ families.

The families also said they had boycotted meetings with political and military authorities “because no positive signs have emerged from the talks,” according to the statement, read by Nizam Mogheit, whose brother is among the kidnapped.

ISIS and the Nusra Front are holding 27 soldiers and policemen they captured during a five-day battle with the Lebanese Army in the northeastern town of Arsal in August.

Relatives of the servicemen set up tents near the Grand Serail in Downtown Beirut earlier this month to pressure the government to work on winning the freedom of their loved ones by exchanging them with Islamist prisoners held at Roumieh Prison. They had planned to escalate their protests last week, but postponed action after receiving assurances that positive news would emerge in the coming days.

Qatar is mediating a deal to secure the release of the captured servicemen. Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, the director general of the General Security, flew to Doha Sunday to follow up on negotiations.

“Things were stalled and suddenly we received a call [from the Qataris] requesting he [Ibrahim] head to Doha,” a General Security source said. “I hope there will be positive developments soon.”

The source said that Ibrahim was holding meetings with “very senior” political and security Qatari officials, expecting that he would remain in Qatar for few more days.

Ibrahim mediated the release of 11 Lebanese pilgrims who were snatched by Syrian rebels in the Azaz district of Aleppo in May 2012.

Two of them were release later in the same year and the remaining nine were freed in October 2013.