US Ambassador Dorothy Shea joined Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces General Joseph Aoun in Ras Baalbek on September 8 to celebrate the completion of explosives clearance in the area of Arsal and Ras Baalbek.  Shea reviewed progress made since the 2017 defeat of ISIS and Al-Nusra in the area.   
 
The United States has provided more than $5.9 million in assistance to the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) to clear improvised explosive devices and mines left behind when the LAF successfully pushed the terrorist groups out of Arsal in “Dawn of the Hills.”  After removal of 219 explosive devices and clearance of 2.9 million square meters of land, the LAF Mine Action Center formally declared the region free of explosive remnants of war. 
 
“Whether in Mount Lebanon, Akkar, the Bekaa, the Chouf, or in Arsal and Ras Baalbek, we are committed to keeping civilians safe and returning formerly mined land to productive use,” said Ambassador Shea.