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Al-Qaeda Taking Root in Lebanon

As refugees move between Syria and Lebanon, fears grow that al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist groups could increase their influence in Lebanon, writes Mohammad Harfoush.
Lebanese soldiers set up concertina wire after Palestinians threw stones at the army post and started a fire at the entrance of the Ain al Hilweh refugee camp near the port-city of Sidon, in south Lebanon, June 19, 2012, to protest the recent clashes that happened between Lebanese army soldiers and Palestinians in a separate refugee camp in Lebanon. The Lebanese army shot dead two Palestinians in a refugee camp near the northern city of Tripoli on Monday after confrontations broke out during the funeral of
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Reports in Beirut from local and Western media reveal that al-Qaeda has begun to establish structural roots for its organization in Lebanon, following instructions from Ayman al-Zawahri. The reports name Majid al-Majid as the organization’s new emir in the Levant and reiterate that the group has established a road map that includes terrorist operations against political figures, religious institutions and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) forces.

These same reports hint that al-Qaeda elements and affiliates — particularly Jabhat al-Nusra, which has been blacklisted by the US because of its affiliation with al-Qaeda — have spread across Lebanon from the north to the south with weapons and equipment. Unified leadership for Jabhat al-Nusra has also been reestablished at the Ain al-Hilweh camp. Osama Amin al-Shihabi has been appointed head of the Palestinian wing in Lebanon. Members of the temporary leadership include Ahmad Mohammad al-Dukhi (Khardaq) as the political chief, Haytham al-Shaabi as military commander and Mohammad al-Shaabi as regulatory and administrative chief.

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