Qatar pulls out of talks to free Lebanese soldiers

Doha: Qatar’s Foreign Ministry says it will no longer serve as a go-between for the release of Lebanese soldiers abducted by an Al Qaida-linked group.

The ministry said in a brief statement carried by the official Qatar News Agency late on Sunday that its decision is a result of the killing of a Lebanese soldier at the hands of the militants.

Retaliation

The Al Nusra Front in Syria says it shot dead the soldier on Friday night in retaliation for the Lebanese government’s detention of the wives and children of militants.

The Al Nusra Front and Daesh are holding some 20 Lebanese soldiers and policemen captive after kidnapping them during a cross-border raid in August.