Lebanon: Who is smuggling money to the army kidnappers in Ersal?
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon-who-smuggling-money-army-kidnappers-ersal
Six trucks carrying food and medical supplies entered Ersal yesterday and will likely end up in the hands of kidnappers, who continue to blackmail and manipulate the Lebanese government, as well as the families of the abductees. Yet, the kidnappers have not taken any positive steps toward releasing some or any of the soldiers.
In the latest maneuver, Qatari envoy Ahmed al-Khatib headed to Ersal yesterday to continue the negotiations with the army kidnappers and try to obtain a clear written list of their demands.
He led a convoy of six trucks loaded with food and medical supplies, on the pretext that it is being transferred to Syrian refugee camps in the outskirts of Ersal. While political and security sources have said that “the aid will only reach the displaced Syrians,” sources familiar with the negotiations confirmed that “the supplies will be smuggled to the kidnappers who occupy the outskirts of Ersal.” The sources added that “the transfer of materials to the barren areas in the last few days has been very easy.”
The Lebanese army seized last Saturday a car containing more than $250,000 en route to Ersal. In the past two weeks, large sums of money were transferred from Beirut to the hijackers.The Lebanese army seized last Saturday a car containing more than $250,000 en route to Ersal. The driver had intended to hand over the money to intermediaries in Ersal in order to transfer them to the kidnappers. After the intervention of “high-level political figures”, the driver, vehicle, and the money found on board were discharged.