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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Militants in Arsal Set up Islamic Law as al-Nusra Front 'Green Brigade' Holds Sway |
| 2014-06-14 |
| [An Nahar] The situation along the Lebanese-Syrian border, especially near the outskirts of the Bekaa town of Arsal, has taken a dangerous turn in light of the Syrian regime's waging of an attack on the area of Rankous and the hard boy al-Nusra Front's imposing of Islamic courts. A reliable source told Egypt's Middle East News Agency that the security situation in Arsal has become dangerous as "gangs have gone so far as to set up these courts and carry out the death penalty against convicts." He estimated that there are about 3,000 armed gunnies present in the outskirts of Arsal, the majority of whom are Syrian, including members of the Nusra Front. These members fled to this area from the now Syrian army-controlled region of al-Qalamoun. The estimates are based on the number of loaves of bread being distributed by the town of Arsal, explained the source. In addition, these gunnies possess light and medium weapons, as well as anti-aircraft guns. They also take advantage of the terrain in Arsal that is scattered with valleys and caves that facilitate the guerrilla warfare. Arsal shares about 40 kilometers with Syria. Moreover, the source told MENA that the gunnies obtain "through illegal means some of the humanitarian aid dedicated to the displaced Syrians." Armed Syrian gunnies recently surrounded an Arsal municipality building after the eruption of a dispute over the distribution of aid. Municipal chief Ali al-Hujairi had turned to the army to settle the dispute. Furthermore, the source highlighted the threat of the jihadist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... and the advances it is making in Iraq, warning that the hard boy threat may approach Leb's borders whereby members of the Nusra Front may decide to join the ranks of ISIL. "This has been known to happen in several Syrian regions despite ISIL's notoriety, even among krazed killer groups," he added. Commenting on the gunnies in Arsal, he spoke of the so-called Islamic Front, which is a union of a number of jihadist groups in Syria. The most prominent group however is that of the "Green Brigade" that is affiliated with al-Nusra Front, he revealed. The gunnies in Arsal recently waged an attack from the region against targets within Syria. This development coincides with reports published in the Lebanese As Safir newspaper on Friday that spoke of an attack carried out by gunnies against the Syrian town of Rankous. The source called for an "Arab and international stand against the pockets of gunnies along the border with Leb that coincides with the spread of the ISIL in Iraq." "These developments are a danger to the entire region, not just Iraq and the Levant ," he warned. The army carried out on Friday a wide-scale raid in the outskirts of Arsal in search of gunnies and wanted suspects linked to terrorist activities. It enjugged Book 'im, Mahmoud! Syrians Zaher Abdul Aziz al-Ahmed for his connection to the al-Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades ... Leb's current al-Qaeda affiliate, named after a guy whose car the current head of al-Qaeda had boomed... It also detained Nour Muheiddine Shameseddine, Haitham Nader Ghannoum, Adel Suleiman Ghannoum and Mohammed Nazih Ghannoum for the possession of cameras, computers and CDs that show their participation in training with terrorist groups. |
| Posted by:Fred |