Lebanon Is Pivotal For Syria’s Jihadists
Ali Hashem writes that Lebanon has been home to various jihadist groups since the 1990s, but that it wasn’t until the Sept. 11 attacks that the connection with al-Qaeda became clear.
Beirut's bloody Valentine's Day back in 2005, the day former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed, saw the first appearance of "Al-Nusra," a group that then claimed the responsibility for the Sunni leader's assassination. A young jihadist called Ahmad Abu Adas appeared in a videotape that was aired exclusively on the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera news network saying he belonged to the group that killed Saudi Arabia's strongman in Lebanon. The claim wasn’t taken seriously and pro-Hariri supporters and politicians accused the Syrian regime of fabricating the group to distract attention.
A group made up of 13 jihadists was arrested in Beirut, and its members confessed to playing a role in the assassination; later on, members of the group discarded their testimonies, saying they were coerced.
Lebanon isn't a country famous for its jihadists, but that doesn't mean there are none. Five years before Hariri's death [Dec. 31, 1999], weeklong clashes between Lebanese security forces and a group of jihadists led by al-Qae da veteran Bassam Kanj in Donieh, northern Lebanon, saw the beginning of the story. The importance of Kanj is that he was at that time one of few Lebanese jihadists who fought in Afghanistan and a key figure in linking al-Qaeda in Afghanistan to al-Qaeda cells in Lebanon.
Kanj, aka Abu Aisha, who knew both Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, was killed in the clashes while his men were arrested and imprisoned for years. Some of them were released while others are still at Roumieh prison near Beirut in the notorious Bloc B, known for being the Islamists' building.
