Lebanese Soldier Announces Defection to IS in Internet Video

Lebanese soldier Abdul Qader Akkoumi has announced his defection to the Islamic State jihadist group, according to an internet video circulated on Saturday.

“I announce my defection from this 'apostate, crusader army',” Akkoumi says in the video as he displays his military ID in front of the camera.

Later on Saturday, the army issued a statement clarifying that Akkoumi had “deserted the military institution three months ago.”

“He escaped on July 21 and was referred to the Military Court on October 1 over multiple desertion charges,” the army added.

The video's title says the soldier hails from the town of Fnaideq in the northern Akkar district.

Akkoumi said he took the decision for “a lot of reasons,” including “the army's shelling of our people in Arsal, the army's dirty conspiracy against our people in the North, and the imprisonment of the Sunni youths.”

He alleged that “Sunni soldiers are being tortured at the Defense Ministry because they spoke in defense of the Sunnis.”

“Everything that is happening is at the orders of (Hizbullah chief Sayyed) Hassan (Nasrallah) and (Syrian President) Bashar (Assad),” the soldier added.

He urged “Sunni troops” to defect and join “their people in Tripoli, Akkar, Minieh, Dinniyeh and the Bekaa.”

The video comes only one day after news broke that two soldiers had defected and joined the Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front.

"The soldier Abdullah Ahmed Shehadeh, who hails from the Akkar town of Mashha, has defected to al-Nusra Front," al-Jadeed TV reported.

"He telephoned his family to inform them that he has joined al-Nusra Front and his family is trying to communicate with him to convince him to return," al-Jadeed said.

Earlier on Friday, al-Nusra Front published a video showing Lebanese army soldier Mohammed Antar announcing that he has defected to the extremist group to “defend the Sunni community” and in protest at Hizbullah's “practices.”

TV and radio stations said Antar hails from the area of al-Zahriyeh in the northern city of Tripoli.

LBCI quoted a security source as saying that a search warrant had been issued against Antar, noting that he was not on duty when he escaped.

The first time a Lebanese soldier defected to the Nusra Front in neighboring Syria was in July.

Corporal Atef Mohammed Saadeddine claimed in a video that his move came as a result of the injustice against Sunnis in Lebanon.

Islamists in the country claim that Sunnis are facing harassment by the army, which they accuse of working under the command of Hizbullah.

The Shiite party has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to help the regime of President Bashar Assad against the rebels fighting his troops.

Hizbullah members have engaged in bloody gunbattles with al-Nusra Front, the Islamic State group and other Syrian opposition fighters in Syria and the border region with Lebanon.

The jihadist groups took several Lebanese soldiers and policemen hostage in August and executed three of them.

Y.R.