(3 Sep 2014) Thousands of angry mourners in Fnaydek on Wednesday buried a Lebanese soldier beheaded by Islamic militants, rocking his flag-draped coffin and firing their guns into the air.
They accused the government of neglect for failing to negotiate his release.
The furore over the gruesome death of Sergeant Ali Sayid, 29, underscored the grave challenges that face the ill-equipped Lebanese military as it fends off an unprecedented Jihadi threat from Syria-based militants.
Sayid, a Sunni, went missing when militants from Syria seized the border town of Arsal for several days in August in the most serious spillover yet of the neighbouring Syrian civil war.
Around two dozen more members of the country's security forces remain held captive by militants.
They were seized in August when several groups, including the Islamic State group and the Nusra Front, overran a Lebanese border town, killing and kidnapping soldiers and policemen.
The government was racing to try and free the remaining captives amid anger fears that the army's morale may erode as their captivity lingers.
Militants in Syria have demanded the release of Islamists detained in Lebanese prisons in exchange for the soldiers and police.
They also demanded the Shiite Lebanese militia Hezbollah to withdraw from Syria, where they are fighting alongside forces loyal to President Bashar Assad.
That puts the army in the delicate situation of appearing to give in to the militants if it caves, and risk losing more soldiers if it doesn't negotiate.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
