Arafats Fatah confirms sending hundreds of homicide bombers to Iraq
Dan | 03.04.2003 17:46
Doesn't Bush realize the Palestinians are the enemies of America. Why is he trying to appease Arafat?
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Fatah confirms sending suicide bombers to Iraq
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH AND DOUGLAS DAVIS
Fatah is sending hundreds of Palestinian suicide bombers from Lebanon to launch attacks on American and British troops in Iraq, according to Col. Munir Maqdah, one of the top Fatah officials in Lebanon.
Maqdah told Agence France Press on Wednesday that hundreds of Palestinians have already been sent to Iraq on suicide missions. He said the would-be suicide bombers belong to Fatah's Popular Army that operates in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.
The secretary-general of Fatah in Lebanon, Sultan Abu Aynain, urged Syria and Lebanon to allow Palestinian volunteers to travel to Iraq. "I call on Presidents Emil Lahoud [of Lebanon] and Bashar Assad [of Syria] to open their borders before the martyrdom fighters in the refugee camps in order to defend Iraq against the American-British invasion," he said at a Fatah rally in the Rashidiyeh refugee camp in south Lebanon.
"The people of Iraq are being slaughtered while the Arab Nation has sold itself to the American-Zionist Satan," he added.
Fatah is the first Palestinian group to announce that it is dispatching suicide bombers to Iraq. Earlier this week Islamic Jihad, which claimed responsibility for Sunday's suicide bombing in Netanya, said the first wave of its "martyrdom seekers" has already arrived in Iraq.
On Monday, some 30 Palestinian volunteers from Lebanon headed for Iraq to join the Iraqi army in fighting against the American and British forces, according to Palestinian sources, who said the volunteers managed to enter Iraq from neighboring Syria.
The sources added that several Palestinian radical groups based in Syria have also started recruiting suicide bombers to be sent to Iraq. At least 10 different Palestinian factions, some affiliated with Iran and Libya, operate out of Syria, which provides them with military bases and weapons.
Britain's elite SAS special forces reportedly have captured four bus loads of suspected would-be suicide bombers and fighters in Iraq's western desert. A report in the London Times on Tuesday said the men came from various Arab countries, but all were carrying Syrian passports.
Syria reportedly has issued approximately 2,000 passports in recent weeks to people, including Palestinians, who are volunteering to fight for Saddam Hussein. Officials in London are concerned that many may be prepared to conduct suicide missions.
According to British sources, up to 600 volunteers have crossed from Syria into Iraq or are about to do so. Sending fighters to Iraq is a clear breach of neutrality, one official said, adding: "The Syrians are playing with fire."
Fatah announced Wednesday that one of its members has become the first Palestinian to die while fighting against the American and British forces in central Iraq. The man was identified as Thaer Uthman of the Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp.
Relatives said Uthman, who was married to a Danish woman, arrived in Syria two weeks ago. From there he obtained permission from the Syrian authorities to cross the border into Iraq.
Meanwhile, under the slogan "If we can't be with you by soul, then let it be by blood," Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have launched a blood donation drive for Iraqi victims of the war. Thousands of Palestinians reportedly converged on clinics and hospitals to donate blood.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1049249995856 Fatah confirms sending suicide bombers to Iraq
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH AND DOUGLAS DAVIS
Fatah is sending hundreds of Palestinian suicide bombers from Lebanon to launch attacks on American and British troops in Iraq, according to Col. Munir Maqdah, one of the top Fatah officials in Lebanon.
Maqdah told Agence France Press on Wednesday that hundreds of Palestinians have already been sent to Iraq on suicide missions. He said the would-be suicide bombers belong to Fatah's Popular Army that operates in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.
The secretary-general of Fatah in Lebanon, Sultan Abu Aynain, urged Syria and Lebanon to allow Palestinian volunteers to travel to Iraq. "I call on Presidents Emil Lahoud [of Lebanon] and Bashar Assad [of Syria] to open their borders before the martyrdom fighters in the refugee camps in order to defend Iraq against the American-British invasion," he said at a Fatah rally in the Rashidiyeh refugee camp in south Lebanon.
"The people of Iraq are being slaughtered while the Arab Nation has sold itself to the American-Zionist Satan," he added.
Fatah is the first Palestinian group to announce that it is dispatching suicide bombers to Iraq. Earlier this week Islamic Jihad, which claimed responsibility for Sunday's suicide bombing in Netanya, said the first wave of its "martyrdom seekers" has already arrived in Iraq.
On Monday, some 30 Palestinian volunteers from Lebanon headed for Iraq to join the Iraqi army in fighting against the American and British forces, according to Palestinian sources, who said the volunteers managed to enter Iraq from neighboring Syria.
The sources added that several Palestinian radical groups based in Syria have also started recruiting suicide bombers to be sent to Iraq. At least 10 different Palestinian factions, some affiliated with Iran and Libya, operate out of Syria, which provides them with military bases and weapons.
Britain's elite SAS special forces reportedly have captured four bus loads of suspected would-be suicide bombers and fighters in Iraq's western desert. A report in the London Times on Tuesday said the men came from various Arab countries, but all were carrying Syrian passports.
Syria reportedly has issued approximately 2,000 passports in recent weeks to people, including Palestinians, who are volunteering to fight for Saddam Hussein. Officials in London are concerned that many may be prepared to conduct suicide missions.
According to British sources, up to 600 volunteers have crossed from Syria into Iraq or are about to do so. Sending fighters to Iraq is a clear breach of neutrality, one official said, adding: "The Syrians are playing with fire."
Fatah announced Wednesday that one of its members has become the first Palestinian to die while fighting against the American and British forces in central Iraq. The man was identified as Thaer Uthman of the Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp.
Relatives said Uthman, who was married to a Danish woman, arrived in Syria two weeks ago. From there he obtained permission from the Syrian authorities to cross the border into Iraq.
Meanwhile, under the slogan "If we can't be with you by soul, then let it be by blood," Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have launched a blood donation drive for Iraqi victims of the war. Thousands of Palestinians reportedly converged on clinics and hospitals to donate blood.
Dan
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