From May to September 2007, Lebanon was suffering because of the clashes between the militant jihadist movement, Fath al Islam, and the Lebanese army. In the Northern part of the country, the Palestinian camp of Nahr al Bared is the main residence of the Islamic militants. What is the real story behind their coming to Lebanon?

The militant jihadist movement, Fath al Islam, was first created in November 2006. Inspired by al Qaeda, this group is led by Shaker al Absi, a Palestinian refugee born in Jericcho in 1955. This fugitive militant was arrested by the Syrian authorities in 2000 and sentenced to a three-year imprisonment for smuggling weapons and ammunition between Syria and Jordan. Shaker Al Absi fought in Iraq. In 2004, he was sentenced to death in absentia by a Jordanian military court for his involvement in the assassination of US diplomat Laurence Foley. Later on, he met Khalid al Omla, the leader of Fath al Intifada (a splinter group from mainstream Fath), in Syria. Khalid Al Omla ordered him to leave to Western Bekaa and head to the refugee camps in Northern Lebanon. In November 2006, the Palestinian security Committee in al Baddawi refugee camp handed two members of Al Absi group to the Lebanese military intelligence. Al Absi was infuriated. Therefore, he decided to break with Fath al Intifada and establish his own group, Fath al Islam. This was the beginning of a group whose outlook headed towards breaking the stability of the Lebanese state.

The Second Man

The second man in Fath al Islam is known by: Abu Hurayra. His real name is Shihab al Qaddour. He is the military commander of the organization. On May 25, 2007, Abu Hurayra said, in an interview with London daily al Hayat, that all fronts will be opened and Fath al Islam are ready to blow up every area in Lebanon. He told the newspaper that his forces are ready to fight for a long time if conditions require it.

The 36-year-old man comes from Mishmish, a village in Akkar. He spent five years and a half in a Syrian prison for fighting in several places, including Iraq. Through al Hayat newspaper, Abu Hurayra warned that Fath al Islam has many cells all around the country and that his men are ready for all surprises.
The Sunday Telegraph reported Abu Hurayra’s statement on May 30, 2007. He said that his band of several hundreds battle hardened fighters had built extensive subterranean fortifications. Qaddour seemed confident in his warnings promising the worst for whoever is thinking of attacking his organization.

Abu Hurayra said in a telephone interview, “We will never surrender” adding that his fighters have enough weapons to fight for a long time. He added that the Lebanese army may secure a victory in the camp of Nahr al Bared but not in the whole country. He ended his statement by saying that his group did not receive any aid from neighboring Syria because this regime always repressed Islamists. Therefore, a crisis on the Lebanese soil emerged.