NAN-F-25
Militants
Beirut, Aug. 8, 2017 (Xinhua/NAN) Lebanese army is gearing up for assault to dislodge 400 Islamic State (IS) militants from border area, local media reported on Tuesday.
According to Lebanon’s Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, there are about 400 IS fighters in the Lebanese area, and hundreds more on the Syrian side of the border.
The reports said that the operation will be in cooperation with Hezbollah and the Syrian army on the other side of the border.
The years-long presence of extremists in Lebanon’s border area has brought suffering to neighboring towns and villages, from shelling, to kidnappings of villagers for ransom.
Car bombs made in the area and sent to other parts of the country, including the Lebanese capital, Beirut, have killed scores of citizens.
The operation follows a six-day military offensive by the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah that forced al-Qaida-linked fighters to flee the area on the outskirts of the town of Arsal, along with thousands of civilians.
The report said the offensive from the Lebanese side of the border will be carried out by the Lebanese army, while Syrian troops and Hezbollah fighters will be working to clear the Syrian side of IS militants. (Xinhua/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Sadiya Hamza