Republished September 14, 2020 - 2:25 AM
Original Publication Date September 14, 2020 - 1:06 AM
BEIRUT - The Lebanese military killed a wanted militant leader during a raid in the country's north that also left four of its troops dead, the army said Monday.
The raid near the northern town of Minyeh occurred late Sunday and targeted the house of one of Lebanon's most-wanted extremists, Khaled Tellawi, who was blamed for an attack last month that killed three men in a northern village. Tellawi, a Lebanese national, was a member of an extremist group that had links to the Islamic State group.
An army statement said a shootout that saw at least one grenade explode killed three troops, while a fourth soldier later succumbed to his wounds early Monday.
The army said troops chased Tellawi and two of his aides into the countryside, where Lebanese troops later killed Tellawi. Lebanese forces continue to search for his aides, the army said.
Lebanese media published a photo of a dead, bearded young man wearing a shirt stained with blood identified as Tellawi, who is believed to have fought in Syria with extremist groups in the past.
Authorities blamed Tellawi and three of his aides last month for a shooting in the predominantly Christian village of Kaftoun in north Lebanon that killed three men.
Security forces identified the four and tried to arrest one of the suspects, a Syrian citizen, in late August. The Syrian blew himself up by detonating explosives he had to avoid arrest.
Since then, a search has been ongoing to find Tellawi and his aides.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020