Lebanon News

Oct. 11, 2014 | 12:27 AM

Jihadist attacks on Army aim to secure access to sea: Kahwagi

A Lebanese soldier stands on alert in Tripoli, Friday, Oct. 10, 2014. (The Daily Star/Fathi Masri)

This article was amended on Sunday, October 12 2014

The article mistakenly attributed a quote from a military official who spoke on condition of anonimity to Lebanese Amy commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi. In fact, a senior military official told The Daily Star: "The attacks on military posts are aimed at denting the Army's battle against terrorism and exerting pressure on troops to provide the terrorists with safe access."

The Daily Star regrets the error.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on October 11, 2014, on page 1.

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Summary

A sustained hit-and-run campaign against the Lebanese Army in the country's north is aimed at distracting it from the battle against terrorism and ensuring safe access for the militants, a senior military official said Friday.

Military posts were attacked by unidentified gunmen for the second day running Friday as Army chief Gen. Jean Kahwagi said ISIS wanted to secure safe access to the sea.

Gunmen armed with machine guns stormed three Army posts in the Tripoli neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh around midnight, prompting soldiers to return fire, the sources told The Daily Star.

The Army confirmed the attacks, saying in a statement that soldiers returned fire after gunmen opened fire on a military checkpoint in Talaat al-Omari in Bab al-Tabbaneh.

The attacks on military posts are apparently in response to the Army's decision to tighten the noose around ISIS and Nusra Front militants entrenched in the rugged outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal.

The Army fought pitched gunbattles with ISIS and Nusra Front militants in Arsal in early August.

Kahwagi said the Army needed to bolster its Air Force to enable it to combat militants more effectively.

The official acknowledged that a soldier, identified as Mohammad Antar, had defected from the Army on Oct. 3 .

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Jihadist attacks on Army aim to secure access to sea: Kahwagi

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