BEIRUT — Militants Wednesday kidnapped a Lebanese Army soldier as he went to visit his family in Wadi Hmeid on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Ersal, security sources said.

According to eye witnesses, gunmen in two pickup trucks snatched First Adjutant Kamal Mohammad Hujeiri, taking him by surprise, and fled to Ersal’s outskirts.

Media reports mentioned that groupings of militants appeared near the town’s entrance from the outskirts, but no clashes have been reported yet.

Some locals spoke of a personal dispute between Hujeiri’s brothers and a group of Syrian men.

Islamist militants from the “Islamic State” and the Nusra Front are holding at least 22 Lebanese soldiers and policemen captive after they fought five days of heavy battles with the Lebanese Army last month in Ersal.

The militants have released seven servicemen and executed two soldiers.

Swapping the hostages with Islamist prisoners held at Roumieh Prison has been the militants’ key demand, while the Lebanese government refuses such exchange deal.