Communicating Arts - Main Web Site"We Palestinians celebrated when we heard of the army's victory. In the end these terrorists made us all homeless. We just thank God its over," said Rasmiya Ahmad al-Youssef, a Palestinian who left her home three days after the fighting started [1] and has now, more than 100 days later, the mission of getting back into the Nahr al-Bared home still held off-limits by the Lebanese Army.
Even this "end" to hostilities at Nahr al-Bared seems just a little bit foggy: the coverage by Bathish in The Daily Star leads with the observation that troops were continuing to round up "stray Fatah al-Islam elements" in and around the camp.
Still, the northern gates have been opened and returning residents have had peace and security enough today to sit on lawn chairs and watch the civilian and military traffic go by.
The questions that may never be answered:
- Was Fatah al-Islam a Syrian-launched Al Queda-type guerrilla band or a more independent, renegade, and romantic enterprise?
- Will the Lebanese Army, widely perceived now as crushing an invading force, remain neutral under the auspices of the elected government, or may it twine some with Hezbollah as regards positioning Israel as a threat on par with Fatah al-Islam?
- How will the Fatah al-Islam story influence Islamist militant movements in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, and elsewhere?
The American literary engines that favors the underdog, the anti-hero, and the incurably romantic would note that the 250 or so opposition fighters at Nahr al-Bared stood off a state's army for 100 days, managed to secure safe passage for the women and children who had stayed or been kept with them through much of the ordeal, and right through to this day the last have eluded capture and death with resolve.
If I praise the vanquished overmuch, it may be to help keep in mind that the Islamic militias comprise a country of their own, albeit one of the heart, and that they're well funded, well armed, determined, and increasingly experienced. That Fatah al-Islam was able to infiltrate and establish its forward base so well in Lebanon stands as testament to developed skills.
1. Bathish, Hani M. "Smiles all around as army wins at Nahr al-Bared." The Daily Star, September 4, 2007.
Correspondence and Permissions: James S. Oppenheim
Comments