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On May 20, the Lebanese military announced that it arrested a senior leader of al-Qaeda during an operation in the northern town of Deir Amar.
The operation took place on May 19, the army said in a statement, identifying the captured senior terrorist by his initials only, T.M.
“T.M. is one of the most prominent leaders of al-Qaeda and the founder of its cells in Lebanon,” the statement reads.
According to the army, the senior al-Qaeda leader played a key role in establishing Fatah al-Islam, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group that used to be active in Lebanon over a decade ago. He withdrew from the spotlight in late 2007 following a fierce battle between the military and Fatah al-Islam at Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon.
The battle, which lasted for 110 days, claimed the lives of more than 400 people and ended with a decisive victory for the Lebanese military.
T.M. returned to prominence after the rise of ISIS and the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, the Nusra Front, the army added. In 2014, he sheltered one of ISIS top leaders in Lebanon following clashes in the northern city of Tripoli and the town of Bhannine that left at least 34 people dead.
“The investigation is still ongoing with the detainee under the supervision of the competent judiciary,” the army’s statement concluded.
Terrorist groups increased their activities in Lebanon after the outbreak of the war in neighboring Syria. In recent years, the security situation in the country deteriorated even further as a result of a severe economic crisis. However, the efforts of the Lebanese military and security forces have successfully prevented the resurgence of any of these groups.
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