Qatar pays $25 million to Nusra Front for release of Lebanese soldiers

In a prisoner exchange arranged by Qatar, the Nusra Front terror organization handed over 16 captive Lebanese soldiers to representatives of the Red Cross on Tuesday in exchange for $25 million, provided by Qatar, and the release of 13 members of the organization in Lebanese jails. The 13 members included Saja al-Dulaimi, ex-wife of the former Al Qaeda leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who is now head of ISIS. The soldiers were taken prisoner about 18 months ago in the Lebanese border town of Arsal. The prisoner release demonstrated Qatar's deep involvement in the Syrian conflict and its connections to the Nusra Front and other organizations linked to Al Qaeda.