Nicosia: Five Lebanese soldiers were killed on Monday by a bomb in a car that exploded next to a bus in morning rush hour traffic in the northern city of Tripoli.

Eighteen of the 24 wounded were soldiers. An explosion in August killed 14, including nine soldiers. The chief suspect is Fatah al-Islam, an al-Qaeda-connected faction which has been battling the Lebanese army since May 2007 and has been blamed for previous attacks. However, other Sunni extremist factions (taqfiris) cannot be excluded.

The Tripoli event followed three bombings on Sunday in Baghdad, where 35 people died, and a suicide bombing in Damascus on Saturday that killed 17. The Damascus and Baghdad attacks targeted neighbourhoods inhabited by Shias, regarded as heretics by taqfiris. Damascus, which enjoys close relations with Shia Iran, has recently reconciled with the West and has been negotiating with Israel, the Arabs’ arch enemy.

Against fundamentalists

Furthermore, the secular Syrian regime continues to clamp down hard on fundamentalists who were crushed when they tried to topple the government during the early 1980s.

In Baghdad, Sunnis are engaged in a power struggle with US-installed, pro-Iranian Shia fundamentalists who dominate the government, armed forces and administration. There is a great deal of resentment in the wider Arab and Muslim worlds against the US and Tehran due to their support for the Shias. Tripoli hosts heterodox Shia Alawites who have been engaged in street fighting with Sunnis over recent months.

The attack came as the two sides were beginning to observe a ceasefire and are speaking of co-existence.
It is no coincidence that these bombings took place at the end of Ramadan and just ahead of the feast which ends the Muslim fasting month. By striking during Ramadan, the taqfiri perpetrators not only demonstrated contempt for those targeted but also ignored the tradition that Ramadan should be a time of peacemaking.

Taqfiris have few concerns about the possible negative impact of their actions as they believe they enjoy considerable support amongst Muslims.

No impact on Qaeda: Poll

They are right to a certain extent. A BBC poll conducted in 23 countries revealed that 46 per cent of those questioned does not believe the US “war on terror” has contained or curbed al-Qaeda and its allies. Twenty-nine per cent held the campaign had no impact while 30 per cent said US policies have boosted the power of al-Qaeda.

Most respondents have a negative view of the group, except in Egypt where 60 per cent had either a positive or mixed opinion and Pakistan where only 19 per cent held a negative opinion.