Female Soldiers Recruited to Search Veiled Women in Sidon as Asir Warns of Storming Ain el-Hilweh

The army is cautiously carrying out precautionary measures at the entrances of the southern Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp as Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir denied that he is residing there.

According to Ad Diyar newspaper published on Friday, the Lebanese army fortified its posts in the southern city of Sidon and appointed female soldiers to search veiled women after obtaining reports that Islamist fugitive Shadi Mawlawi and Asir are planning to escape from the Palestinian camp.

Mawlawi has been charged with belonging to an armed terrorist group in order to stage terrorist acts, and holing up at a Tripoli mosque with the aim of preparing bombs and explosive devices to target Lebanese troops in the area.

In November, the militia led by Mawlawi and Osama Mansour clashed with the army in Tripoli and Akkar district. The gunbattles left dozens of fighters, soldiers and civilians dead and injured.

Media reports said that Mawlawi and Asir are preparing a security operation.

Meanwhile, Asir said via social networking website Twitter that he is not in Ain el-Hilweh.

“I advise all brothers not to head to the camp,” Asir said in his tweet.

Judicial authorities have issued a detention order for Asir and 123 of his supporters, including singer turned Salafist Fadel Shaker, whose brother was killed in clashes with the army in Sidon last year.

H.K.

G.K.