Fears of Rise in Extremism in Tripoli over IS, al-Nusra Front 'Infiltration'

There are rising fears that the northern city of Tripoli will become a hub for Islamic State and al-Nusra Front fighters, who have engaged in gunbattles with the Lebanese army in a border town and beheaded two soldiers.

As Safir daily on Thursday quoted security officials as saying that extremists have been spending huge amounts of money to lure young men and encourage them to be armed.

Tripoli is back to the “point of disorder” after the “infiltration” of the extremists, the officials said.

The city has been relatively calm since the army and security forces implemented a plan to end gunbattles between rival groups earlier this year.

Scores of civilians, soldiers and fighters have been killed and injured in dozens of rounds of fighting between the impoverished neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh, which is majority Sunni, and Jabal Mohsen, whose residents are from the Alawite sect of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The security officials told As Safir that the army, security agencies and al-Mustaqbal movement ministers are preparing “preventive steps” to stop Takfiris from expanding in Tripoli and to thwart their plans.

Militants from the IS and al-Nusra Front have already engaged in deadly clashes with the Lebanese army in the northeastern border town of Arsal.

They took with them hostages from the army and security forces last month and later beheaded two of them.

On Tuesday, gunmen crossed the border from Syria and kidnapped a soldier from his parents' farm on the outskirts Arsal.

The IS also threatened to behead another army soldier over what it described as the Lebanese government's “lies” and “procrastination” in the negotiations over the abducted troops.

The presence of the militants on the border and among the more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees across the country has raised fears over Lebanon become another Syria and Iraq where the IS has controlled thousands of square kilometers of territory.

G.K.

H.K.