'Al-Qaida franchises' - ticking time bombs

Posted: Friday, June 08, 2007 10:34 AM

By Richard Engel, Middle East bureau chief

One Palestinian refugee camp here in northern Lebanon is today a smoldering, sniper-infested, booby-trapped battlefield where a few hundred al-Qaida inspired fighters have been making an Alamo-like last stand against the Lebanese army.

Another refugee camp in the south seems to be heading in the same direction, and there are more, many more, al-Qaida inspired time bombs like these slowly ticking away in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East.

The jihad-inspired militants fighting Lebanese troops today in what’s left of the shelled, scorched and bullet-strafed Nahr al-Barid camp are from a small cell called Fatah al-Islam, "Islamic victory," but the name isn’t important. There are other groups here too, Jund al-Sham, "Soldiers of the Levant," Esbat al-Ansar, "League of Partisans," and Al-Qaeda fi Bilad al-Sham, "al-Qaida in the Levant."

While the names are unimportant (they change as the factions split off and meld into each other), don’t ignore the groups. It didn’t work for Lebanon, and won’t work for the rest of the Middle East and the United States.

Click here to read the rest of Richard Engel's analysis "'Al-Qaida franchises' - ticking time bombs"

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Comments

Israel is to blame for kicking out the Palestinians to begin with. The author forgets to address the origin of the tragic situation, i.e., how the Palestinians came to be living as refugees in the first place. The Israelis made life miserable for millions of people... and miserable people have a way of fighting back any way they can.

What's the Truth? (Sent Friday, June 08, 2007 11:51 AM)

Great article! It's nice to hear from you, since the Nightly News has been promising for days to run your Kurdistan piece, and it keeps getting bumped! Anyway, if I could be silly for a moment.... Love the choice of a Carvel ice cream store as one of your "franchises." It is a childhood favorite of mine, as well! Fudgie the Whale forever! Stay safe.

LNP, Maryland, USA (Sent Friday, June 08, 2007 3:52 PM)

Richard: We have watched your news reports from Iraq and now from Lebanon. We really do admire the work you are doing in these dangerous places and the intensity and compassion that you show. My daughter and I were discussing that wonderful (and very heartwrenching) story on the Iraqi girls orphanage. Could you possibly provide an address or name of someone in charge with whom we could make contact to see what we could do to help them? We have to do something ! Thank you for your time. Dot Shinn

Dot Shinn, Santa Margarita, CA (Sent Friday, June 08, 2007 10:27 PM)

I applaud the U.S. and the Lebanese army for trying to confront and eliminate these franchises, and hope the nut case, extremist, terrorism-sponsoring government in Iran will be overthrown long before it acquires nuclear weapons! Al-Qaida, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and their evil ilk simply are out to cause mass murder and rule by terrorism and fear. Once those extremists in charge in Iran are taken out, the swamp will begin to be drained, and these franchises will wither. Take a stand, civilized nations everywhere!! Its not too late to do what is necessary!! We can still undo the mistake of ex-president Carter, who allowed Iran to fall into the hands of those jihadist extremists in the first place, after the Shah fell ill, when France allowed the ayatollah to leave there, and set up extremist shop in Teheran! Wake up, world, and get real!!

rob, oakland, ca (Sent Saturday, June 09, 2007 10:22 AM)

Dear Richard, I have read your analysis of the "Al-Qaida franchises'-ticking time bombs" several times to really understand how this violent group spreads. And I agree with the fact that they are sprouting up all over the Middle East with little chance of being stopped. No country can ignore the problem because it will not go away on its own. They never run out of people to induct into the group and follow its deadly path. The quote you stated "I prefer by apache" is extremely poignant and makes a strong statement as to how that person wanted to die. It is just terribly sad that innocent people are caught in the middle of the fighting and lose many family members and homes. I only wish that there will come a time when peace will be the norm and countries will be rid of these terrible "ticking time bombs". Please stay extra safe Richard! You do an amazing job reporting from that region. You are greatly appreciated! Take care of yourself! Peace will come!

Lisa McNeil,Alpharetta,Georgia (Sent Saturday, June 09, 2007 11:47 AM)

"But now that Lebanon has inadvertently opened a box it would have preferred to leave shut" Guess what, The Terrorists are the ones who opened the box, perhaps prematurely and to their ultimate disadvantage. They are the ones who robbed the bank and murdered and mutilated Lebanese soldiers thereby forcing a long overdue confrontation. Refugee camps are there, as any such camps are allowed anywhere, soley because the government allows them to be there. There is no obligation for any government anywhere to accept refugees, as Switzerland has demonstrated time and again. The Administrations of these camps have done nothing to police their populations and have made these camps cancerous growths on the body of the host countries. As long as these cancers remained relatively benign the host can live with them. Now that the growths are metastisized they must be removed, with unfortunate but necessary loss of otherwise healthy tissue.

Wayne Young (Sent Sunday, June 10, 2007 3:38 AM)

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