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"Ghosts" of Arafat's Compound Fade into the Night
(Toronto Globe and Mail) Matthew Kalman - Officially, the 20 wanted men of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades living in Arafat's compound did not exist. Reporters could see them, and they would sometimes wave back. But gun-toting guards forbade photographing or talking to them. Their ghostly presence was repeatedly denied by PA spokesmen. Some were officially employed by one of Arafat's myriad security forces. In their spare time, they went out and tried to kill people, usually Israelis. Sometimes they killed other Palestinians. Sometimes they simply provided muscle for security or political figures. On Thursday, the ghosts finally vanished, exorcised by the imminent departure of Arafat, their patron and protector. They walked out through the front gate carrying their weapons, and vanished into the night.