According to the Washington Times, Lebanon is the new trendy hot spot for the jihadist set.
NAHR EL-BARED, Lebanon -- Heavily armed foreign jihadists have been entering Lebanon from Syria from around the time Western authorities noticed a drop in the infiltration of foreign fighters from Syria to Iraq, Lebanese officials say.
Theories abound. Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, commander of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, believes that the terrorists Lebanese forces have been battling have been battle hardened in Iraq.
"They are very dangerous," he said in an interview. "We have no choice, we have to combat them."
Officials traveling with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said before Miss Rice's meeting with her Syrian counterpart in Egypt early this month that Syria appeared to be taking "positive" steps to guard its border with Iraq, resulting in a reduced number of jihadists crossing the border.
But U.N. officials running the Nahr el-Bared camp told The Washington Times that a large band of foreigners carrying mortars, rockets, explosive belts and other heavy weapons entered the camp in a group several months ago.
That is near the time that infiltration of militants from Syria into Iraq fell off, according to Lebanese authorities, who suspect the jihadists were simply redirected by Damascus.
Maybe the jihadists, having heard congressional Democrats claim that Iraq is a distraction from the war on terror, have gone in search of it in Lebanon. But then , John Edwards said there is no a war on terror. Mortars, rockets, explosive belts and other heavy weapons -- probably nothing more than a fashion statement.
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