BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army's "discriminatory" approach in hunting down militants is drawing negative attitudes towards it among the residents of Tripoli, Future MP Ahmad Fatfat said Sunday.
“There is a sense of aversion towards the Army in Tripoli, and the problem is related to how the Army implements its security measures across Lebanon,” Fatfat told radio station Voice of Lebanon 100.5 in a morning interview.
He implied that the Army is not consistent in how it treats residents from different backgrounds.
Speaking on the security situatio in the northern city, Fatfat wondered what caused the rise of extremist movements there.
“There are security issues in Tripoli but the question should be addressed to security officials: How were these [terrorist] groups allowed to appear in the first place?,” the MP added.
Expressing disappointment with the security plan implemented in the city earlier this year, Fatfat said areas that host extremist movements are always the ones suffering from poverty.
“Things should not be dealt with through security only, but also by development and education,” he said.
Fatfat dismissed accusations that the Future Movement backs Tripoli’s extremist fugitive Shadi Mawlawi, saying that the Cabinet who released him from prison last year was affiliated with March 8.
“The previous government is the one who released him, and former Prime Minister Najib Mikati brought him home in his personal car,” he said.
Further distancing the Future Movement from salafi movements, Fatfat said Akkar’s radical MP Khaled Daher does not belong to his party.
“He has his own party and is an ally to Future.”
Daher, known for his hardline speeches, recently accused Lebanese Army leader Gen. Jean Kahwagi of conspiring against Sunnis in Lebanon.
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