Akkar residents protest release of soldiers in Abdul-Wahed case

Angry residents blocked roads in the northern district of Akkar Thursday, hours after the release of Army officers and soldiers who were detained over the assassination of an anti-Bashar Assad Muslim preacher. Locals blocked the road that connects the northern village of Bireh with Halba and Qubayyat, protesting the release of the Army personnel. The road leading to Kousha was also obstructed. A judicial source told The Daily Star that three Lebanese Army officers and eight soldiers were released on bail Thursday, adding that five soldiers remain in custody in connection to the May killing of Sheikh Ahmad Abdul-Wahed and his companion. The Army personnel had been detained for over a month. The soldiers and officers were arrested shortly after Abdul-Wahed and Hussein al-Mereb were shot dead at an Army checkpoint in Akkar on May 20. The Lebanese Army took responsibility for the incident, and said it had immediately formed a committee to investigate the deaths. Local figures gathered in Bireh’s mosque Thursday and discussed means to reduce tension and prevent confrontations between residents and the Army, which intensified patrols in the area because of the volatile situation. After the killing of Abdul-Wahed, army vehicles pulled out of Akkar and some Future Movement MPs called for the Army to withdraw from the district. However, the Future Movement later highlighted its loyalty to state institutions and its support of the military. It has called for the case to be referred to the Justice Council, the country’s highest judicial authority. Abdul-Wahed’s killing fueled fears that strife would break out across the country as armed clashes between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad erupted the same day in the Beirut neighborhood of Tariq al-Jadideh. In general, support in Akkar is high for the uprising against Assad. North Lebanon and the Bekaa alone host more than 30,000 Syrian refugees from the conflict. Speaking during a legislative session at Parliament Monday, Akkar MP Mouin Merhebi, from the Future Movement, questioned why the case had not yet been referred to the Justice Council. He predicted there would be conflict if it was not referred to the Justice Council soon. The Daily Star