TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Two Lebanese truck drivers were still being held captive by jihadis at the Nasib crossing on the Syrian-Jordanian border Monday, while most of their fellow countrymen have been freed.
Seer al-Dinnieh Mayor Ahmad Alam, who owns eight of the trucks that were stuck at the border crossing starting last Tuesday, told The Daily Star that negotiations were ongoing for the release of the last two truckers.
Alam said that while the situation should be resolved in “the coming hours,” many truckers had already reached the Jdeideh area on the Syrian side of the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The truckers were awaiting paper work to enter Lebanon, Alam added, one day after six others had entered the country through the Masnaa crossing.
Some trucks remained on the Nasib crossing due to technical malfunctions and calls were being made to facilitate their return, he said.
The crossing was taken over by Syrian rebels last Wednesday, one day after Jordan had closed the road on its side of the border and evacuated all civilians from the area.
Many of the trucks contained food products that have expired since last Tuesday, when at least 30 Lebanese trucks were banned from entering Jordan.
Others were looted by gunmen, who were shown in pictures using cars and pickups to carry tons of stolen products from the area.
Alam called on the Lebanese and Syrian authorities to facilitate their entry, and addressed Prime Minister Tammam Salam asking him to provide owners whose trucks were lost or damaged with proper compensation.
Syria has not yet admitted to losing the crossing, which was the last major crossing on the Syrian-Jordanian border to be operated by the regime.
The crossing is also vital for trade between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the GCC. Its closure is expected to significantly impact Lebanon’s exports.
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