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Syrian War Overtakes Lebanese Valley

Lebanon’s Wadi Khaled faces hardship and divisions as a result of the war in Syria.
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WADI KHALED, Lebanon — On a small dirt road near the village of Knaisse Akkar, in the northern valley of Wadi Khaled, plumes of smoke can intermittently be seen on the horizon, rising from the Syrian city of Qusair. A few locals lean on the concrete wall talking while gazing into the distance.

In the early hours when shells occasionally make their way into the valley, piercing the morning calm, it is not uncommon to see young men on motorbikes heading up the same road to Knaisse Akkar, to return fire at an enemy that is in most likely out of range. Lebanese army presence can seem scarce on the ground.

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