Nusra: we did not promise to stop executing hostages

Beirut Daily Star ^ | 10/2/2014

[markomalley]

Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate the Nusra Front on Thursday denied that it pledged to stop executing Lebanese hostages being held near the northeast border town of Arsal and said it was not engaged in negotiations for their release.

In a statement posted to Twitter, the jihadi group also said it had nothing to do with last month's kidnapping of Lebanese soldier Kamal Hujeiri, who was released earlier this week.

“What was recently mentioned by Lebanese media channels about our pledge to not kill any abducted soldier is untrue,” the extremist group wrote in their statement.

Lebanese officials on Wednesday said that Nusra and ISIS pledged not to execute anymore of the 21 soldiers and policemen being held captive near Arsal during negotiations to release them.

But Nusra claimed it no longer had a representatives engaged in the negotiations, accusing the Lebanese government.

The jihadists refuse to negotiate a deal until "the [Syrian] refugees’ problems are resolved and the recently detained among them are released.”

“We have presented these conditions to the Qatari delegation but we haven’t received any response from its side yet,” the statement said.

“We informed it that we are ready to release the captive soldiers in return for the Lebanese government’s release of Roumieh’s prisoners,” it added.

Nusra also renewed threats against Army soldiers, saying that it would respond to any measure taken “against the Sunni people” by killing a captive.

The Nusra Front and ISIS still hold at least 21 soldiers and policemen in Arsal’s outskirts after kidnapping more than 30 during a five-day battle with the Army in August.

ISIS has beheaded two soldiers, and Nusra shot dead one. Another seven have been released by Nusra.

The Lebanese government this week announced that Doha-sponsored negotiations were making progress.