The mistery of Fatah-al-Islam

Update:-
TRIPOLI - Lebanese tanks and armored vehicles battled their way into the outer neighborhoods of a Palestinian refugee camp Friday in some of the heaviest fighting since violence broke out between the military and al-Qaida-inspired militants nearly two weeks ago. The military demanded the Fatah fighters holed up in the Nahr el-Bared camp in northern Lebanon surrender and promised to pursue them if they didn't.
Three Lebanese soldiers were killed and 16 palestinians, according to security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to address the media. Most of the camp's 31,000 refugees have fled, many to the nearby Beddawi refugee camp.

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An interview to the lebanese opinionist Hassan Hamadeh.

How do you explain the clashes in Tripoli ?

"It was a clear plan to create conditions to involve lebanese army in a war of attrition".

Why just the lebanese Army ?

"Because it represents the only guarantee against a civil war in the Country. The entire crisis started when these bandits assaulted a bank in Tripoli and then the internal security worked over their hideout, which was known, to stop them. They were not able to do that, so called the Army, completely unaware of the "hot" situation so they felt down in trap".

But the phenomenon of sunni extremism in Lebanon exists since oct 2005, when Charles Ayoub, director of independent sheet Ad Diyar said to Arabmonitor that in the country there were many more islamic militants than you can imagine, lot of foreigners, with the target to destabilize Lebanon.

"The phenomenon appeared 5-6 years ago, before Iraqi invasion, supported by Rafiq Hariri with the intent to utilize the islamic fanaticism, which look at Al Qaida as reference, for their purposes".

Who did encourage or support them in the last years ?

"Sure The Future of Saad Hariri (leader of the current majority in the Parliament) has a big responsibility, since it wanted to utilize them. It's not accidental that members of Fatah-al-Islam have assaulted the Bank of Mediterranean (propriety of Hariri's family) in Tripoli, as it seemed they were no more paid (see Franklin Lamb article: Who is behind the fighting in North Lebanon, www.counterpunch.org).
The Bank of Mediterranean has had the same role in lebanese events than Banco Ambrosiano in Italy with reference to Calvi, P2 and IOR".

It seems there are lot of foreigners in Fatah-al-Islam rank.

"The saudi ambassador in Beirut admitted the presence of many saudi people (Marwan Abdulal, palestinian leader who lives in Tripoli, said to Arabmonitor that between guerilla's militants the palestinian ones are the less represented)".

How have they entered in Lebanon and how have they arrived here ?

"They entered mainly through Beirut international airport Rafiq Hariri, although this is not an honour for our Country. They entered using the militar corridor used by Unifil force. None was able to stop them, or to control. They arrived in small groups last autums. Choosed Ein el Helweh camp (Saida), as there it was easier to disguise because there was another islamic extremist group. Then, thanks to lebanese Securitate (name reminding the secret services in Romania with Nicolae Ceasescu), they have been transfered months ago by special units of Internal Ministery into Nahr-al-Bared (palestinians fonts in Lebanon have referred that some of Fatah-al-Islam were present in a palestinian training camp in Bekaa used by Fatah-Intifada group. Once they broke down with these one, they moved to Nahr-al-Bared. Three months ago there would have been a negotiate in Saida, source palestinian fonts in Ein el Helweh camp, between islamic members and Rafiq Hariri's sister, Bahia, deputy of Parliament, which was supposed to have requested militants to leave Saida's area (in Saida the origins of Hariri's), offering them money)".

Who's Shaker al Absy, indicated as the boss of Fatah-al-Islam ?

"A delinquent who acted cooperating with Abu Musab al Zarqawi, he was in prison in Syria 3 years before arriving in Lebanon (It's a jordanian-palestinian member of al-Fatah and trained in Lybia as official of palestinian armed forces. In 2002 an amercian diplomatic was killed in Amman and Absy was investigated and then capital condemned in absence by the jordan security Court in 2004. Fouad Hussein, a jordan expert in islamic militant organizations, said to Arabmonitor that after the assassination of the USA diplomatic, Absy left Jordan and moved in Syria. The internal Syrian Ministery informed last March that Absy stayed in sirian jail from dec 2003 to dec 2006 as responsible of terroristic activity. Once released, he joined Lebanon. In Fouad Hussein's opinion, Absy has never been in Iraq. However, Palestinian fonts in Tripoli said to Arabmonitor that many militants of Fatah al Islam inside Nahr-al-Bared camp are supposed to have passed a certain period in Iraq, fighting among lines of a group named Iraqi Islamic Army)".

Whom weapons, ammunitions and equipments, sent by USA in Beirut in last days, are addressed to ?

"It seems the vehicles to the lebanese Army, while the other stuff to the several militias of the current majority. It's weird if you think that USA keep on talking about weapons sent to Hezbollah, while they provides them to the others".

(thanks to Arabmonitor source)