Libanon

[Shahab3]

Lebanese army arrests 60 of Sheikh Assir’s followers
Mon Jun 24, 2013 5:7PM GMT

Lebanon army has pledged to fight until it ‘finishes with’ the radical sheikh, who is a staunch supporter of militants fighting the Syrian government."

Lebanese troops have arrested 60 followers of the hard-line Takfiri cleric, Ahmad al-Assir, after heavy clashes in southern city of Sidon.
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"The army has a duty ... to continue its operations until it finishes with the armed men, brings (Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir's) headquarters under control, and arrests the army's attackers," Lebanon Security Cabinet said in a statement after a Monday meeting.

The meeting, chaired by President Michel Sleiman, included the commander of the Lebanese army, ministers and top security officials.

At least 52 people have been so far killed in heavy clashes between Lebanese army and Takfiri supporters of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir in the southern city of Sidon, Lebanon's third-largest city some 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Beirut.
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Assir was unknown just two years ago, but he gained prominence as the spillover into Lebanon from the conflict in neighboring Syria has escalated. The cleric is believed to have hundreds of armed supporters in Sidon involved in the fighting.
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