TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The killing of Badr Eid has Tripoli residents on high alert, and many believe that the current period of calm cannot last. A number of high profile security incidents have raised tensions in the city, and local youths continue to join extremist groups amid the ongoing crisis in Syria. Despite the government’s security plan for the northern capital, several security incidents are being viewed as indicators that the city will again slide toward unrest.
Badr Eid, brother of Arab Democratic Party leader Ali Eid, was killed earlier this month on the highway linking the Akkar towns of Haysa and Kouweikhat.
In impoverished Bab al-Tabbaneh there are rumors that wanted terrorist Bilal Atar has entered the area. Atar is believed to have taken part in the execution of the soldier Ali al-Sayyed, who was among the security personnel taken hostage in August last year, when militants from ISIS and the Nusra Front briefly overran the northeastern town of Arsal.
News of his arrival caused consternation among Bab al-Tabbaneh residents, as the area is still affected by the presence of terrorism suspects Shadi Mawlawi and Ossama Mansour, who are currently at large.
Supporters of Mawlawi used the Abdullah bin Masoud Mosque in Tripoli’s neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh as a basis for their operations last year. Both men are wanted by the authorities for clashes with the Lebanese Army in October last year.
Perhaps most significantly, residents are increasingly concerned about the number of youths who have left to join ISIS and the Nusra Front. Around 400 people from the north have allegedly gone missing and are believed to have joined extremist groups, according to a prominent security source.
Occasionally information is leaked stating that one has been killed in north Syria or Iraq. Their families are informed by a call from ISIS, telling them that their child has been killed, and buried according to Shariah law.
“Official statistics show that around 68 have been killed to date,” the source said. “Their parents go to the department of birth records registration to announce their deaths.”
The would-be fighters travel to Turkey; from there, they can reach northern Syria. Once they cross the border, they are given the choice to fight in Syria or go to Iraq.
Although much uncertainty surrounds the fate of these youth, the security source pointed to the different the approaches taken by ISIS and the Nusra Front.
Whereas ISIS attempts to cut off all means of communication between young recruits and their families, Nusra uses a different strategy and recruits local youth for missions inside Lebanon.
The Jan. 10 suicide bombings near the Omran cafe in Jabal Mohsen are an example of this practice. Carried out by local resident Taha Samir al-Khayal and Bilal Mohammad al-Mariyan, the attack killed nine people and wounded more than 30. Nusra later claimed responsibility.
As more young people become affiliated with extremist groups in Tripoli, suspicion has grown among the city’s residents.
Whenever someone announces that they are heading to Turkey for vacation, they immediately become the object of mistrust, as other residents fear they are leaving to join a terrorist group.
A. al-Youssef, a father of two, left his children with his father before heading to Syria. Hailing from Bab al-Ramel area, Youssef called his family to inform them that he was not coming home and was dreaming of martyrdom.
There are rumors that another Bab al-Ramel resident has joined the same group, and another resident, G. al-Ater, is believed to have joined ISIS three months ago.
Some announce their new affiliation online. M. Bakour disappeared from the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood a couple of days ago. A picture of him raising his index in a sign of allegiance to ISIS has been circulated on the social media platform Facebook. His parents have not yet made a statement, but he is believed to have traveled to Turkey.
Ali Ajaya, the mukhtar of Bab al-Tabbaneh, said some youths move toward terrorist organizations seeking an outlet after being persecuted by security forces, judicial authorities and intelligence informants.
Similar sentiments are found in another impoverished area of Tripoli, Mankoubeen, rumored to be a fertile ground for Nusra recruiters.
Pressure from security forces is believed to have pushed Tripoli bomber Taha Samir al-Khayal down the road to extremism.
Khayal, who hailed from Mankoubeen, was described by the neighbors as religiously committed; it wasn’t until Khayal became upset with his treatment by security forces that he decided to join Nusra.
“What connects me to the Lebanese government ... are the insults I receive because I am a Muslim and I am religiously committed,” one neighbor quoted Khayal as saying.
Neighbors recalled his reaction when an uncle suggested he surrender to the authorities as he was under investigation. “I [would] prefer to blow myself [up rather than] go to the investigation,” Khayal reportedly replied.
But there are attempts to contain the situation in the north.
Dar al-Fatwa is trying to raise awareness on the dangers of religious extremism, particularly for young people. Lebanon’s Sunni authority is also trying to control the religious speeches and lessons that can be taught in mosques.
But as youths continue to join these groups, it appears the group’s efforts may be insufficient to stem the flow.
“These youth ... are looking for a cause; they’re suffering from frustration and misery in Tripoli,” said Sheikh Mahmoud Sheikh, a tutor and speaker delegated by Dar al-Fatwa.
“They find that ISIS can fulfill their ambitions so they run away from their harsh realities toward the idea of jihad.”
The notion that conditions in Tripoli itself are driving youth toward extremism is lent some credence by the recruitment of Christians, including Charlie Sleiman Haddad and Elie Tony al-Warraq. Haddad is believed to have joined ISIS. Warraq was arrested in January in connection with the suicide attacks in Jabal Mohsen.
Father Ibrahim Sarouj, a priest in the Christian neighborhood of Zahrieh, stated that youths were joining terrorist groups for monetary reasons, and that the choice had nothing to do with faith.
“What’s needed is to ... protect the cultural components of Tripoli,” Sarouj said.
“I think the current targeting doesn’t affect Christians as much as it is a hit to the unique co-existence present in the city.”
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