Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/01/MNOISNC32.DTL&hw=Israel&sn=003&sc=697
Shiite Hizbullah Recruits from Other Sects to Help Build Strength
[San Francisco Chronicle] Hugh Macleod - Hizbullah, the Iranian-backed Shiite militant group, is expanding its military power by recruiting Sunnis, Christians and Druze in preparation for another conflict with Israel, according to sources close to Hizbullah. In addition to its year-long political campaign to bring down Lebanon's pro-Western government, Hizbullah has ignored UN and Lebanese government calls for disarmament and remains focused on bolstering its military strength by recruiting non-Shiites. Moreover, Hizbullah is arming and training a Sunni militia group inside the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern port of Sidon. Sheikh Abu Ayoub, the commander of some 300 Sunni Palestinian fighters of Ansar Allah (Followers of God), acknowledges his group's affiliation with Hizbullah.