BEIRUT, Lebanon — Sixteen Lebanese soldiers held for more than a year by the Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, were released on Tuesday in a prisoner exchange with Lebanon, according to statements from the Lebanese government and reports in the regional news media.
In footage televised on Al Jazeera, the soldiers could be seen arriving on the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Arsal in pickup trucks, apparently in good condition and still in Nusra custody. A man in black, apparently a Nusra member, was shown carrying weapons and a black flag like those used by the group.