Conflict Incident Report

Lebanese sisters kidnapped by Nusra freed in swap deal

Date of incident:

August 26, 2015

Death toll:

0persons

Number of Injured:

0persons

Actors/Parties Involved:

Lebanese Civilians

Hezbollah

Two Lebanese sisters who were kidnapped in May by Nusra Front militants in northern Syria arrived at Beirut airport Tuesday in a swap deal which remained shrouded in secrecy.

“The sisters were released as part of a secret swap deal,” Hezbollah MP Nawar Sahli told reporters at the Rafik Hariri International Airport upon their arrival.

He would not reveal details of the negotiations, saying “secrecy is the key to success.”
Sahli hailed General Security head Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim for his efforts to secure the release of the sisters, Nibal and Houriya Abdeen. The sisters are natives of the east Lebanon town of Hermel. Nibal and Houriya were kidnapped after they left the house of their third sister, Nidal, in the Rashidin neighborhood of Aleppo. They had spent two weeks at Nidal’s house. The kidnappers reportedly said at the time they wanted to negotiate their release with Hezbollah directly. Nibal and Houriya were abducted while trying to return to Lebanon from a visit to their sister who is married to a Syrian man and lives in Aleppo. A source at the airport said the sisters arrived from Istanbul. Nabil Halabi, a lawyer and activist, posted on his Facebook

Primary category:

Hostage Taking Situation [inc. attempt, release]

Classification of conflict (primary):

Individual acts of violence

Violent incidents which do not have a specific or a known political agenda but are caused by the general proliferation of weapons, of trained and untrained soldiers or militants, by the general inefficiency of the Justice system, and past-traditions and histories of violence within society.

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Conflict Incident Report

Lebanese sisters kidnapped by Nusra freed in swap deal