Army Arrests 20 Fugitives in Bekaa Crackdown
The Lebanese army on Thursday pushed on with its crackdown on crime rings in the lawless Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon arresting 20 more fugitives and suspects.
The latest arrests bring to 89 the number of people nabbed this week as part of a major sweep launched following an ambush on an army vehicle on Monday during which four soldiers were killed.
The army said initial evidence did not point to any of those arrested being directly involved in the attack.
"Our raids are continuing," an army spokesman told AFP. "We know who was behind the killing and we will continue to hunt them down."
The attack on the army was apparently in revenge for the death of Ali Abbas Jaafar, a drug baron killed by the military last month after refusing to stop at a checkpoint.
Jaafar was wanted on several charges, including drug trafficking and the attempted murder of soldiers and civilians.
Members of his family are suspected of being behind the ambush in which the soldiers” vehicle was raked with bullets and blasted with a grenade.
The Bekaa Valley has a reputation as a fertile drug-producing region ruled by clans who operate outside the rule of law.