DOHA
By Ahmed al-Masri
Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani held talks Sunday with Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam in the capital Doha.
The talks focused on bilateral relations and the release of Lebanese troops held by militants in the eastern town of Arsal, the official Qatari news agency reported.
Salam hailed Qatari efforts aimed at releasing the Lebanese soldiers held by the militants, the agency said.
The Lebanese premier arrived in Doha earlier Sunday on his first visit to the Gulf country since government was sworn in in February.
Militants believed to belong to the Islamic State group have been holding nine Lebanese troops since early August following clashes in Arsal – which hosts over 100,000 refugees from war-torn Syria.
At least 17 Lebanese troops were killed and 86 injured in the clashes.
Along with the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees, Lebanon has been hard hit by the civil war in next-door Syria.
The small coastal country has also seen a recent surge in militant attacks in response to Hezbollah's role in the Syrian conflict, where the Lebanese Shiite militant group continues to fight alongside Syrian regime troops.
www.aa.com.tr/en
