Skip to main content
Sunday, November 15, 2026Nov 15
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

The Latest: Lebanon says buried bodies are its soldiers

Abbas Ibrahim, center, chief of Lebanese General Security, speaks during a press conference in front of tents set up by families of missing soldiers who were kidnapped by Islamic State group militants, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. Ibrahim said that bodies believed to be of soldiers kidnapped by IS militants three years ago have been found buried near the border with Syria. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Abbas Ibrahim, center, chief of Lebanese General Security, speaks during a press conference in front of tents set up by families of missing soldiers who were kidnapped by Islamic State group militants, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. Ibrahim said that bodies believed to be of soldiers kidnapped by IS militants three years ago have been found buried near the border with Syria. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

By Associated Press 2 min read

BEIRUT (AP) – The Latest on developments in Lebanon and Syria (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

A senior Lebanese official says bodies believed to be of soldiers kidnapped by Islamic State militants three years ago have been found buried near the border with Syria.

Abbas Ibrahim, chief of Lebanese General Security, says locating the bodies was part of a deal reached with the Islamic State group during a military offensive in the area that began last week. In exchange for locating the bodies of the soldiers kidnapped in 2014, the militants will be evacuated to eastern Syria.

Ibrahim said the operation Sunday to dig out the bodies of six soldiers is underway, and two more bodies are believed buried there. Ibrahim said the search for a ninth soldier continues. He said DNA tests will be carried out to determine the identity of the soldiers.