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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| In Ain el-Hellhole, Arab fighters are ready to die in Iraq | |
| 2005-11-28 | |
| AIN EL-HILWEH, Lebanon: On a quiet autumn night, a mosque loudspeaker shatters the silence in this poor Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. ''With all pride and grace, we announce to you the martyrdom of our mujahideen brothers Mohamed Ahmed al-Kurdi and Nidal Hussein Mustafa in the battlefields of jihad in Iraq,'' the speaker blares across the narrow streets of Ain el-Hilweh.
The deaths brought to three the number of residents from the camp killed in Iraq in November alone, making a total of five in the past four months. Arab fighters have played a key role in Iraq's insurgency since the US-led invasion in 2003. Militants led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi have been blamed for a relentless series of attacks, suicide bombings and beheadings. The US military has said that Zarqawi is trying to bring more foreign fighters into the country because many of his Iraqi associates have been rounded up or killed. One man in Ain el-Hilweh -- a crowded maze of narrow alleyways where gunmen from rival Palestinian factions roam freely and clash sporadically -- is eager to follow Zarqawi. The 36-year-old, who used the alias Abu Dujana, said he was counting the days to return to Iraq to join the ''martyrs in the name of Islam''. He made no effort to hide his loyalty to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. ''(Bin Laden)...is the symbol of the mujahideen (holy fighters). Every religion has its symbol...and we as Sunnis and mujahideen have Sheikh Osama,'' Abu Dujana, who is a member of the Usbat al-Ansar militant group, told Reuters. Usbat al-Ansar, which was founded by a Palestinian but now includes many Lebanese as members, follows the same strict version of Sunni Islam as bin Laden. The group, which has a base in Ain el-Hilweh and openly admits links to bin Laden, says dozens of its members have joined the insurgency since the US-led invasion. ''Usbat al-Ansar is offering military and logistical support to al Qaeda in all the battlegrounds of jihad including Iraq,'' said the group's spokesman, who called himself Abu Shareef. Ain el-Hilweh is the biggest of 12 Palestinian camps in Lebanon, where late leader Yasser Arafat's fighters were a main faction in the civil war that erupted in 1975. The UN says there are 45,000 registered refugees in the camp near the southern city of Sidon but residents put the number much higher. | |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #5 AIN EL-HILWEH ought to be renamed to three letters AWR standing for Allah's Waiting Room. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2005-11-28 20:18 |
| #4 Its good to know at least SOME of my tax money is being spent well. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2005-11-28 19:49 |
| #3 Article: The deaths brought to three the number of residents from the camp killed in Iraq in November alone, making a total of five in the past four months. ... Ain el-Hilweh is the biggest of 12 Palestinian camps in Lebanon, where late leader Yasser Arafat's fighters were a main faction in the civil war that erupted in 1975. The UN says there are 45,000 registered refugees in the camp near the southern city of Sidon but residents put the number much higher. Five guys in four months out of a population of 45,000? Multiply that by 12 camps and you have 60 guys in four months, or 240 guys in a year. Out of a population of 540,000. That's a partipation ratio of .04% of the population. |
| Posted by: Elmenter Snineque1852 2005-11-28 19:43 |
| #2 Kill 'em in place, save 'em the cost of the trip. |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-11-28 12:55 |
| #1 "The deaths brought to three the number of residents from the camp killed in Iraq in November alone, making a total of five in the past four months." Well, it's a start... |
| Posted by: Xbalanke 2005-11-28 12:20 |