Mother Pelagia Sayyaf, chief of Mar Taqla Monastery in Maloula, Syria, said that the statements she made prior to the prisoners exchange “came at the request of a general from the Lebanese State Security. Before reaching the border crossing where the exchange was done, he asked me to thank Bashar al-Assad and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, in addition to Major General Abbas Ibrahim, general director of Public Security.” Sayyaf continued, “Then they gave me a bag with a picture of Virgin Mary and with crosses inside. They told us that it was sent by Major General Abbas Ibrahim and asked us to wear the crosses on our chests.” She added that the nuns are living normal lives and are waiting to return to Maloula once the situation calms down in the town. Sayyaf said that the public outrage caused by their complementary remarks on Al Nusra Front is understandable. “However, I must testify before God that Al Nusra fighters treated us very well, not because they are good, but perhaps because we were part of the negotiation process,” she said. (Source: Al Sharq Al Awsat)
