Shock rippled through the village of Fnaydeq Friday as residents struggled to come to terms with circulating pictures that allegedly show the beheading of Ali al-Sayyed, an Army soldier captured earlier this month during clashes in Arsal with Islamist groups.
Sayyed, who hails from the small village in the northern Akkar district, was reportedly killed at the hands of ISIS, according to a Twitter user who shared the pictures and claimed to be part of the group.
Sayyed is one of 11 Army soldiers captured by ISIS following five days of fighting at the beginning of August. The Nusra Front, also involved in this month's clashes, is said to be holding 15 Internal Security Forces captives and three Army hostages.
Sayyed, described as a "good man with high morals," enrolled in the Army 16 years ago and fought in the 2007 Nahr al-Bared clashes, which pitted the Lebanese Army against Fatah al-Islam militants.
In the nearby village of Tikrit, the hometown of another captured soldier, Ahmad Gieh, residents were anxiously monitoring the news.
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