"...a sign that the shadow of Sunni militancy there has started to fall over Arab countries nearby"

[ProSense]

Shadow of Iraq jihad falls over Lebanon

By Tom Perry
1 hour, 44 minutes ago

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Jihadists battling the Lebanese army in north Lebanon were either on their way to or from Iraq, Palestinian political sources believe, a sign that the shadow of Sunni militancy there has started to fall over Arab countries nearby.

Many of the Fatah al-Islam militants had originally come to Lebanon to train for Iraq, the main front for al Qaeda in its battle with the United States, a Palestinian source in Lebanon said. Some had already fought there.

Although Iraq remains the preferred destination for jihadists, experts on al Qaeda say the group may be sending fighters out of the country to open new fronts.

That prospect alarms Arab states, which in the 1990s battled Islamist insurgencies fuelled by the return of Arab jihadists from war in Afghanistan. Arab governments were quick to send Lebanon military aid after fighting erupted on May 20.

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"We are facing a real problem in the Arab world -- the Iraq syndrome," Rashwan said. Al Qaeda's ideology and style, if not yet large numbers of its fighters, were moving out of Iraq.

Iraq remains the preferred battleground for jihadists, even if Lebanon offers them the chance to strike at Israel and Shi'ite Muslims, who Sunni hardliners consider infidels.

"For now, the focus is on getting into Iraq because of the presence of what is known as 'the principle enemy'," Sirry said, in reference to the United States. "Leaving is not a priority."

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[ProSense]

1. Kick! n/t

[maxsolomon]

2. see, we keep drawing em out of the woodwork...

problem is, there's about 500 million of them.

and they're armed with our gas money.

[donkeyotay]

3. Details, details. It's sooo much better to fight them over there

where we don't have a clue who is who or what is what, and we have that wee logistical Halliburton "we ran out of ice cream and need another trillion" problem. And when you're fighting people on their turf...

Everything working right as Commander Guy planned...he did plan, didn't he?