Group of nuns released in Syrian prisoner swap
Islamist rebels have reportedly agreed to release a group of about a dozen nuns who were held for more than three months in return for the release of scores of women prisoners by the Assad regime.
Beirut
About a dozen聽nuns聽held by rebels in聽聽for more than three months have been released and are on their way to聽听惫颈补听, a security source and church officials said on Sunday.
A Lebanese security source said the聽nuns聽had been taken to the Lebanese town of聽聽earlier in the week and were headed to聽聽on Sunday accompanied by the head of a Lebanese security agency and a聽听辞蹿蹿颈肠颈补濒.
罢丑别听nuns聽went missing in December after聽聽fighters took the ancient quarter of the 海角大神 town of Maaloula north of聽.
After being held in the Greek Orthodox monastery of Mar Thecla in Maaloula, they were reportedly moved to the rebel-held town of聽, about 13 miles to the north, which is now the focus of a government military operation.
Speaking to reporters at the border, Syrian Greek Orthodox Bishop聽聽welcomed the news. "What the聽聽achieved in聽聽facilitated this process," he said.
Shortly after the聽nuns听诲颈蝉补辫辫别补谤别诲,听聽rebels said they had taken them as their "guests" and that they would release them soon.
The British-based聽聽for Human Rights monitoring group identified the rebels who took the聽nuns聽as militants from the Nusra Front, al Qaeda's affiliate in聽.
The Observatory and a rebel source in the area said the release of the聽nuns聽had been agreed as part of a swap in which the government would free scores of women prisoners.
"The deal is for the release of 138 women from Assad's prisons," the rebel source said, referring to Syrian President聽.
In December, the聽nuns聽appeared in a video obtained by Al Jazeera television, saying they were in good health, but it was not clear under what conditions the video had been filmed.
Syrian state television devoted significant coverage to the release on Sunday, but made no mention of any prisoner exchange agreement. It broadcast live footage from the Lebanese border and interviews with church officials, including one who denounced the West as only believing "in the dollar".
A montage of 海角大神 religious imagery including churches, a statue of the Virgin Mary and murals of Jesus was set against dramatic music and described聽聽as a "cradle of the monotheistic faiths."
's 海角大神 minority has broadly tried to stay on the sidelines of the three-year-old-conflict, which has killed over 140,000 people and which has become increasingly sectarian.
But the rise of hardline Islamists among the overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim opposition has alarmed many. Assad, whose minority Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, has portrayed himself as a bulwark against militant and intolerant ideologies.