BEIRUT: The families of 25 Lebanese servicemen being held captive by ISIS and The Nusra Front denied Wednesday, media reports claiming negotiations with the captors had been suspended.
Spokesperson for the families, Hussein Youssef, told The Daily Star that he had been informed by relevant authorities of continued efforts to negotiate the release of troops and policemen being held hostage by jihadis along Lebanon’s border with Syria.
Youssef said that he was surprised by media reports that claimed negotiations had been suspended, noting that significant efforts had been made to ensure the hostages’ release.
“General Security Chief, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim has called on Qatar and Turkey to assist in the hostage crisis and they are on board,” he said.
Earlier Wednesday, MTV broadcasted a message recorded by one of the captive servicemen.
In the audio recording, the captive claimed that negotiations with the Lebanese government were "non-existent" and called for a quick solution to the hostage crisis.
Youssef interpreted the recording as an attempt by the captors to pressure the families in to escalating protests.
ISIS and Nusra Front briefly overran the northeastern border town of Arsal early August, taking with them more than 30 Lebanese soldiers and policemen captive. They have since released eight and killed four.
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