Jun 02 2007
What The Intense Fighting In Lebanon Might Mean
The intense fighting in Lebanon around a Palestinian refuge camp cleary demonstrates that a major Islamo Fascist action was being put in place and is being thwarted by the Lebanonese armed forces:
The Lebanese air force on Saturday joined tanks and artillery in pounding Islamic militant hideouts on the second day of an intensifying offensive to uproot al-Qaida-inspired gunmen barricaded in a Palestinian refugee camp.
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It was the first time the army used its limited air force capability in the battle, signifying the intensity of the ground fighting.
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Lebanese security officials said dozens of militants from the Fatah Islam group had been killed or wounded in the fighting since Friday, but a senior militant commander said only two fighters had been wounded since the fighting began.
Abu Hureira, deputy leader of Fatah Islam, conceded his fighters abandoned some positions in the northern end of the Nahr el-Bared camp in a “tactical” withdrawal. But he denied the army was advancing and vowed never to surrender, as the army again demanded Saturday.
The battle has been raging and intensifying – which means the extremists within the camp are well armed. To be well armed means shipments of weapons and ammunition had to be coming in over a period of time. I would not be surprised if what tipped off people to the presence of these extremists had something to do with detecting the arms traffic. I seriously doubt there will be any surprises about the sources of the arms. Iran and Syria have been supplying weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, so would anyone be shocked to find these made their way into this hornet’s nest?
The big question, though, is what was the purpose in creating this armed enclave of Islamo Fascist fighters? Were they to help Hezbollah take out the Lebanonese Army in preparation for a northern attack on Israel? That too seems like an obvious mission. I guess someone thought that might distract the US forces in Iraq (not likely). Or maybe it would embolden the Surrendercrats (possible, but not a given). Whatever the purpose, this terrorist force is now be faced and will be eradicated. That should ruin some people’s summer plans for the Middle East.
This shows once again that allowing a group to have sovereignty within the borders of a sovereign country is a bad idea. I’m sure it seemed like the humanitarian thing to do — give Palestinians a high degree of autonomy within the Lebanon borders for the refugee camps. However nearly every act that allows non assimilation causes trouble. It doesn’t matter if it’s refugee camps in Northern Lebanon, Shia areas of Southern Lebanon, the banlieue around Paris, or the Native American Reservations in the US very little good happens a group is allowed the option of non assimilation.
Once in the US people were Virginians or Pennsylvanians or Georgians or Vermonters before they were Americans. It took the horror of 4 years of Civil war to make people Americans from Pennsylvania or Georgia. Right now Lebanon is in civil strife that is 40 years or so old. However people still know themselves as Palestinians or Christians or Druze or Shiites from Lebanon. The war won’t end until they become Lebanonese with a Christian or Shia background. Unfortunately that’s still a long way off.
Wow, if al-Qaeda needs to fight for a beachhead in Lebanon it might mean we are on the down slope of a long, long, long conflict.
These chaps may be defined as al-Qaeda, but they are probably a conglomeration of Islamist thugs from the many sects of radical Islam.
Maybe al-Qaeda’s last ‘secure’ foothold will become Iran and Syria. Certainly, those two nations will ‘welcome them in’. Radicalized gangsters are always better proxy fighters ‘over there’ rather than dutiful citizens ‘over here’!
Also,
We should not quickly forget that Radical Islamist were vanquished in their effort at nation building in Somalia.
If I look hard enough I see the Paper Tiger and the Weak Horse…
Can Radical Islam hold out long enough for us to elect Dead Tigers and Glue Nags?
Time will tell!!!
Can you imagine the coverage and condemnation the US or Israel would receive if they bombarded a civilian settlement as the Lebanese are?
I agree they must do this, but the hypocrisy is palpable.
AJ says
“Iran and Syria have been supplying weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, so would anyone be shocked to find these made their way into this hornet’s nest?”
America supplied jihadists to drive out the Soviets from
Afghanistan and could well have had a hand in funding this group,directly or indirectly, as a means of stymieing Hezbollah
in Lebanon or creating havoc.
Hersh has exposed the American gambit to aid Sunnis against
Iran, which is considered the bigger threat now that Bush
has handed Iraq to Iran.
But interventionists like Strata have a different standard when
it is the American Empire doing the supplying another example
being our meddling in the Iraq-Iran war.
It’s blowback time, AJ.