Al Qaeda-linked group in Syria says it killed Lebanese hostage

Reporting from Beirut — An Al Qaeda-linked rebel group in Syria said Friday that it had slain a Lebanese hostage, the latest reported killing of captive security personnel.

Al Nusra Front announced the killing of Ali Bazzal, identified in news reports as a kidnapped Lebanese policeman. He appears to be the fourth captive Lebanese security officer killed by Syria-based militants in recent weeks.

Bazzal was one of more than two dozen Lebanese policemen and soldiers taken hostage in August when Islamist rebels from Syria swept through the isolated Lebanese town of Arsal, along the Syrian border about 75 miles northeast of Beirut. The Lebanese Army forced a militant retreat from Arsal during days of fierce fighting, but the insurgents fell back toward Syria with the Lebanese security officers in custody.

The fate of the kidnapped officers has become a major political challenge for Lebanon. Three of them had been slain before Friday’s reported killing of Bazzal.

Relatives of the hostages have blocked roads, held protest marches and demanded that the government secure the release of their loved ones.

Lebanese authorities say that in recent weeks they have arrested the relatives of a number of Syrian militant leaders, including the wife and children of a Nusra commander. Their detention hatched speculation that the jailed family members could be used as bargaining chips in a hostage exchange. But the arrests appear to have infuriated the militants.

In a statement, Al Nusra Front condemned Lebanon for “dirty and lowly acts.” The group vowed to execute another “prisoner” in a “short period of time” if the “women and children” in Lebanese custody were not released.

Twitter: @mcdneville

Special correspondent Nabih Bulos contributed to this report.