Lebanese troops freed by Syrian jihadists in prisoner swap

Al-Nusra Front began the prisoner swap by handing over the body of a soldier killed in captivity

The official National News Agency said the handover was under way outside the north-eastern border town of Arsal.Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate has freed 16 Lebanese security personnel held captive for almost 16 months as part of a swap deal, Lebanese media report.

Earlier, al-Nusra Front handed over to officials the body of one of the four security personnel killed in captivity.

The release is part of a deal brokered by Qatar that will see the Lebanese authorities free a number of prisoners.

One of the prisoners is believed to be Saja al-Dulaimi, an ex-wife of Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Militants from al-Nusra and the rival jihadist group, Islamic State, seized more than two dozen soldiers and policemen during a major attack on Arsal in August 2014.

The conflict in Syria has heightened sectarian tensions in Lebanon, with violence regularly spilling over its border and more than a million refugees arriving.