Turkey warns citizens to leave Lebanon

Turkey advised its citizens Saturday to leave Lebanon and avoid travel there after this week's abduction in Beirut of two Turkish pilots.

The Turkish fliers were taken by armed members of a previously unknown group who demanded the release of kidnapped Lebanese Shia pilgrims held in Syria. The abduction is the latest example of how Syria's civil conflict is drawing in its neighbors, with repeated bouts of fighting among sectarian factions in Lebanon and a string of kidnappings over the past two years. The conflict between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian rebel forces frequently spills over into Turkey as well, where many of the opposition leaders have sheltered.

"Given the current situation it is vital that our citizens avoid all travel to Lebanon," read a statement posted on a foreign ministry website Saturday. "We suggest that citizens who are still in Lebanon return to Turkey if they can, or if they have to remain, to take all measures to ensure their personal safety and be vigilant."

Lebanese Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said that Lebanon would make "exceptional efforts" to ensure the release of the two pilots, according to Turkish state media.

"The security services are sparing no effort," Lebanon's National News Agency quoted Charbel as saying. "We are continuing the investigation to find the two Turks... Lebanon is against any kidnap and the state is doing everything in its power to free them."

The pilots and seven other crew members were on a bus headed to a hotel from the airport around 3 a.m. local time when armed members of the previously unknown group, Zuwar al-Imam Reda, intercepted the bus.

The group forced the bus driver and crewmembers off the bus, kidnapping the two pilots. Zuwar al-Imam Reda demanded the release of a group of Lebanese Shia pilgrims kidnapped in Syria last year, Turkish and Lebanese press reports said on Friday.

The Turkish Airlines press office identified the abducted pilots as Murat Agca and Murat Akpinar.

Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, said on the social networking site Twitter that no effort would be spared to secure the release of the pilots.

Two Turkish nationals were briefly abducted in Lebanon last year, following the capture of 11 Lebanese Shia Muslims in neighboring Syria's northern Aleppo province, and a Lebanese national was detained in Damascus by rebel forces. Two of the 11 have since been released.

They are reportedly being held by the rebel group Northern Storm Brigade (Asifar al-Shamal), which Turkey is believed to wield influence over. The abducted Shia Muslims were part of a group of pilgrims who were on the return leg of a trip to Iran. There have been several failed rounds of negotiations to free the remaining Lebanese abductees.

A representative for the families of the kidnapped Lebanese has denied any involvement in the abduction of the Turkish pilots. The Turkish government is a staunch supporter of the Syrian opposition. In contrast, Hezbollah, the armed Lebanese Shia political group, actively supports Assad’s forces.

Separately, Turkey has decided to remove its troops from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping forces operating in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.

The Lebanese Daily Star newspaper reported that the Turkish Engineering Construction Company would be withdrawn by the first week of September.

“[The withdrawal] will be around 280 troops and 58 will stay as part of the maritime task force,” the newspaper quoted the UNIFIL chief as saying.