Hostage-taking of wealthy businessmen in Lebanon has risen more than seven-fold in an unlikely knock-on effect from Syria's civil war. Security officials say gangs who once made their money smuggling fuel and contraband through the porous Syria-Lebanon border have watched their trade wither because of the violence, so they are turning to kidnapping to make a profit. [...] tensions between its Sunni and Shiite communities have spiked, sometimes exploding into deadly clashes, mirroring the sectarian hatreds in Syria, where Sunnis largely support the rebellion, and Shiites and the Alawite sect — an offshoot of Shiism — back President Bashar Assad. In the latest violence, a Sunni sheik, Saad El-Deen Ghieh, was shot to death in his car Tuesday by gunmen in the northern city of Tripoli, scene of frequent clashes between Sunnis and Alawites in connection with Syria's war. [...] unable to freely pass through areas in Syria that have become war zones, they've turned their hand to kidnappings at home, three security officials told AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the press. The security officials said most kidnappings end with ransoms being paid, usually less than the high initial demands made by kidnappers, though families are usually reluctant to acknowledge paying, in part of out of fears of becoming repeat targets. Khatib denied paying any ransom, saying his kidnappers freed him because of pressure from tribal leaders, but the security officials said they believe some money was paid. Two security officials said the abduction came after an argument with drug dealers, but a third said the Germans were taken at gunpoint and ordered to pay for their freedom. The risk would grow if al-Qaida sought to punish Western countries, for instance, for becoming publicly involved in the Syrian crisis or were perceived to side with the Assad government, analysts of Drum Cussac Information Services said in a written response to questions.
Kidnapping Grow In Lebanon As Syria War Spreads
By DIAA HADID, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle: World
Tue, 11/12/2013 - 11:25am
BING NEWS:
- With the world distracted by conflicts elsewhere, the Syrian civil war flares up again
Turkey-backed Sunni forces in the north, US-supported Kurdish forces in the northeast, and the Shiite-backed Assad government controlling the west and south.
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Fertile fields stretch to the horizon in Chaat, a farming village in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. In mid-November, most lay barren—untilled and unplanted—after many farmworkers fled heavy Israeli ...
11/29/2024 - 1:29 am | View Link - More
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