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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | ||
| Ain Al Hilwe Journal: NYT A | ||
| 2007-06-19 | ||
| DATELINE: EIN AL-HELLHOLE, Lebanon - On a recent afternoon, with the smoke still rising from buildings burned in fierce fighting here between Islamist militants and the Lebanese Army, a man calling himself Abu Omar gave a tour of his squalid neighborhood. Oh, Lion of Islam! Abu Omar, a militant Islamist, is among the most charismatic leaders in the camp, loved by his supporters but detested by those who say militants bring nothing but destruction to the Palestinians. An old woman stopped him. “Thank God you are safe,” she said, hugging and kissing him three times on each bearded cheek. “My house is completely burned,” she said. "Praise be to Allah!" “Don’t worry about it,” he replied as he took her hands. “We will fix it or get you a new one. Do not worry. Everything will be fixed.” Yada yada yada. Allah will provide for you. The fighting was a sign of just how fragile Lebanon has become. As the Lebanese Army battled militants in the Nahr al Bared refugee camp in the north, gunfire broke out between the army and militants here in this camp, near Sidon. Abu Omar says the fighting started after a soldier provoked a “brother.” Like an american brother? “He was telling him that ‘we are defeating you in Nahr al Bared, we are burning you,’ ” Abu Omar said. “Then he started shooting toward him; the brother went home, brought his gun and started shooting back.” Yeah, I believe that story. LOLOL. The government disputes that version of events, but by either account, the camp is a tinderbox, and Abu Omar, whose real name is Chehadeh Jawhar, is an apt symbol of the weakness of the Lebanese state. "apt" as in 'fitting'. Even before the current political crisis, with pro-American factions struggling to keep power from pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian parties, Lebanon was a nation without institutions, a place where power was divided among religious sects. It was a state that gave Palestinians free license to live in 12 refugee camps within its borders. Within the camps’ confines, they were immune from the country’s rules, laws, police and oversight, but condemned to a life of degradation and second-class status. Once a Paleo....., version 1,344,428,901 For those like Abu Omar, with a militant Rats do need many burrows, don't they? With a shrug of his shoulders, he pointed to a corner in the darkened room where he has stored TNT, plastic explosives and guns. He smiled, then opened boxes and black school backpacks, rummaging through a potpourri of ammunition, makeshift land mines and detonating wires. Just your typical Paleo cupboard! The explosives stored in his basement were similar to those that have been used to destabilize Lebanon since the assassination of the former prime minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005. There is no way to know if the basement was the source of any of those bombs. Maybe the NYT, being a newspaper and all, could investigate whether *these* explosives match *those* explosives? Hmmmm?
Patented Paleo workmanship! Abu Omar and two other militants were wounded, and two others died. A pity. “Victory is not required from us,” he said in an interview before the explosion. “What is required is to be ready for a jihad in the name of God, ready to reinstate Islam’s rule and Muslim caliphate. It is normal, if the army shoots at us, we will shoot back at them — normal.” Abu Omar, 37, was once a fighter with the mainstream Fatah faction of Yasir Arafat, the former Palestinian Authority Yeah! All the arabs! A Paradise, I tell you! He says he has been wanted by the Lebanese government since 1991 for scores of felonies. “Crimes that cannot be counted,” he boasted. “It is normal, normal.” "After all, I am a Paleo."
A senior Lebanese military official confirmed that Abu Omar is wanted in connection with numerous killings and bombings. "We'd get him, but they might want to hurt us." He cannot leave the camp. Not, at least, through the front gate in daylight Happytime! The military official said Abu Omar is believed to have left the ranks of Esbat al Ansar and is now a member of a splinter faction called Jund as-Sham. Who cares? They are all basically the same except for minor arguments like proper beheading techniques. Abu Omar struts through the camp like a sports star, or the mayor. He stopped at his mother’s house. She had just returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He hugged and kissed her; she thanked God for his safety. His sisters showered him with yet more kisses. “We miss you,” they said. "Struts" like a "sports star"? WTF??? Taxi drivers and their customers passing by also stopped to give thanks that he had survived the battle. More residents and neighbors joined the line. "Please do not kill us, effendi." But caught between the army and Abu Omar and his supporters are those who simply struggle to get through their days, and see in the militant groups the seeds of their own devastation. Life sucks when you are a Paleo, version, hell, I can't keep up with it anymore. “They burned the houses, they burned our houses,” said a Palestinian refugee who gave his name as Abu Iyad for fear of reprisal. He said his perfume shop and his house, both on Emergency Street, had been set on fire. “If the army gives me a uniform, I will shoot at them now,” he said. Signed his own death warrant as their can't be more than one shut-down perfume shop in farking ein all-hellhole. “We want to get rid of all these problems,” said Mustapha Razi, another refugee. “If my brother is creating problems, I want to get rid of him.” "But I am too afaid!" But they know they can’t, and that the army can’t either. If fighting erupts again, they all said they would do what they did a few days ago: flee. Life su..... oh, never mind Abu Omar says it is unlikely those clashes would resume. But if they do, he said, civilians outside the camp are fair game. “If the army shoots at us again, we will shoot at civilians in Sidon.” And off he walked to visit his mother and sisters. "Such a nice boy." | ||
| Posted by:Brett |
| #3 He's a modern day Walter Duranty. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2007-06-19 10:01 |
| #2 Hey, this dame's pretty good. Always nice to see the old traditions continue. |
| Posted by: The Ghost of Walter Duranty 2007-06-19 09:08 |
| #1 I'd stay about 300 yards from the militants, minimum. I don't understand why Leb is dicking around with them. Trying to get them to surrender?? They will only put them in jail for a couple of years and release them for some lame-ass reason to murder again. I think "lights out" is the way to go with these pukes. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2007-06-19 08:03 |