After Syria, Al-Qaeda Expanding in Lebanon

-Qaeda expanding in Lebanon”, Reuters reported that “faced with recent setbacks in Iraq and Syria, al-Qaeda is slowly but firmly gaining influence in Lebanon.”

Sources close to the group stated that “this expand is helped by the country’s increasing sectarian violence and the turmoil caused by Syria’s war.”

According to the agency, “Lebanon, a small Mediterranean state with a fragile sectarian power sharing system, has seen the worst of the Syria’s war spill over with car bombs in Beirut and Tripoli, gunfights in city streets and rocket fire in the Bekaa Valley.”

In Syria, the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [ISIL] holds territory in the north and east but has been on the defensive in recent weeks after coming under attack from other armed groups that resent its harsh rule.

The sources say it is now seeking to expand in Lebanon, particularly the northern city of Tripoli, plagued by violence and lawlessness since the start of Syria’s war nearly three years ago.

The accounts from the sources, including fighters who support and oppose al-Qaeda in Syria, appeared to be supported at the weekend when a statement in the name of Abu Sayyaf al-Ansary – described as al Qaeda’s commander in Lebanon – said the group had put down roots in Lebanon.

In an audio statement Ansary declared allegiance to the head of ISIL. Speaking, he said, from Tripoli, he claimed “Lebanon would be a gateway for al-Qaeda to strike at “Israel”.”

“Several Syrian terrorist sources said the group was in the final stages of establishing itself in Lebanon’s north – a region seen as fertile ground for the group where many people have adopted a stricter interpretation of  extremist Islam in the past few years.”

Reuters further mentioned that “the Palestinian refugee camps – home to most of the 440,000 Palestinians living in Lebanon – are also a potential breeding ground for “jihadis”. So far they have produced small groups who have gone to fight in Afghanistan, Iraq and other conflicts abroad rather than building up forces in Lebanon itself.”

Against that backdrop, a local commander in Syria who is close to al-Qaeda commanders there said Ansary had been given the conditional blessing of ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to announce al Qaeda’s presence in Lebanon.

“There will be statement in the next few days and the world will know then what will happen in Lebanon, and with God’s will it will warm the heart of the faithful,” he said.

While the group is expected to focus on Tripoli as a base, local commanders may be present in the northern province of Akkar, in the Bekaa Valley and the southern city of Sidon, where supporters of Ahmed al-Assir clashed with the army last year.

Residents say al Qaeda is already calling the shots in some Tripoli neighborhoods and areas of the northern province of Akkar and the Bekaa Valley. Black and white flags associated with its uncompromising agenda openly fly from the streets and balconies of some Tripoli districts.

The sources were divided over how powerful the group is at this stage in Lebanon. Some said it had already established its base and would launch more organized attacks in the country, while others said it was still in final preparatory stages.

“Our understanding is that they are around 80 percent established but not fully established. They are still not well organized or the cells connected to each other,” said another Syrian commander via Skype. “They are in the process of re-grouping, that is what we know.”

Sources in Tripoli said that a debate took place for weeks among the “jihadis” on whether to go public. They were told by higher command to wait for approval from Baghdadi.

 “The north [of Lebanon] is a fertile ground for this for many reasons. People are extremists – but because of ignorance,” said a third Syrian commander who lives in Turkey. He predicted an escalation in violence in Lebanon but said all-out conflict remained unlikely for now.

“More car bombs and explosions will happen here and there. As for an all-out war in Lebanon, I think it’s not possible in the near term,” he said.

Source: Alahednews

B.N