Israa al-Fass

Another former Al-Mustaqbal (Future) Party persona is Shaker Al-Berjawi, the man who deeply associated with the Mustaqbal until he dissociated from the party to head the Arab Movement Party, yet he remained a close neighbor of his previous party, especially in the Tariq Al-Jdideh region.

The Training Camps in Berqayel and Oyoun Al-Samak

In an exclusive interview with Al-Manar website, Berjawi noted that he faced thousand fighters in the recent clashes that took place in the Tariq Al-Jdideh region early on May 21st, 2012, and that those fighters were directed by operations room command in which security systems asserted that they are related to the Mustaqbal Party. Berjawi also mentioned that the fighters were trained in the northern Berqayel village in Akkar under the military official in the Mustaqbal Party Amid Hammoud before the camp had been closed lately.

Berjawi’s information intersected with some statements Al-Manar website has obtained from northern sources, which asserted that training operations have been moved from Berqayel to Oyoun Al-Samak where Hammoud, in person, supervises all of them. It is remarkable that the Mustaqbal transformed Oyoun Al-Samak from a summer resort into a military zone and imposed entry prohibition; he also took hold of the hospitals where the so-called “Free Syrian Army” wounded fighters are being treated, and imposed entry prohibition on those hospitals where responsibility is strictly taken by the Mustaqbal supporter, the Lebanese Information Branch. Among those hospitals are the Dar Al-Zahraa and Dar Al-Shifaa in Abu Samra region.

Returning to the “Former Futurist”, Berjawi unveiled to Al-Manar website that the Mustaqbal members training operations started two years before May 7 events. He also asserted that parts of these operations were performed outside Lebanon in Jordan, France, and the United Kingdom… He also assured that the 600 members of the security team of Saad Hariri had undergone those operations, and that they are supervised in Beirut by a French trainer.

The outside trainees are responsible for protecting Bayt Al-Wasat (center house), Qraytem, and the Square. The Head of the Arab Movement Party added that in Bayt Al-Wasat there are three containers full of ammunition some of which were used in the attack against his office in the Tariq Al-Jdideh region.

Sources mention that the Mustaqbal owns light, medium, and heavy weapons that range between RPG, BKC, “14.5 machine guns” and “82 mortar bombs”, as well as the Zionist-made Anerga shells, and snipers equipped with night spyglasses.

Among the recent battles between Jabal Mohsen (Mohsen Mountain) and Tabbeneh neighborhoods, the Mustaqbal fighters launched some 300 “82 mortar bombs” on the Mountain in a six-hour period, which led to wondering about the party’s stored quantities.

And with respect to the way in which the Mustaqbal is being armed, Berjawi said that the very first source was the black market, and then the sea became open to weapon smuggling operations after the security chaos in the North.

Amid Hammoud… Mustaqbal’s Military Official

Al-Manar website information notes that the Mustaqbal party is in direct charge of the “Lutfallah 2” ship deal which the Lebanese Army seized loaded with weapons. In further details, Amid Hammoud had visited Qatar along with Samir Al-Masri where the both received money and backup before they headed to Libya where they finished the deal and bought the weapons.

Who is Amid Hammoud?

Hammoud is a retired Colonel from the Lebanese Army. He is responsible for the armed gangs of Al-Mustaqbal in the North. Berjawi stated that Hammoud is connected to Wissam Al-Hassan and Abd Al-Arab, and that he is the counterpart of Mahmoud Al-Jamal, who supervises the armed gangs in Beirut and receives his instructions from Ahmad Hariri. As for the northern source, it indicated that Hammoud is the top Military Official of Al-Mustaqbal Party as a whole and not only in the North, and that he has no contact with the Futurist northern MPs and figures but is in direct contact with the leaders of the Party, Saad and Nader Hariri .

The two sources agree that what Hammoud practices exceeds Khaled Daher’s sectarian incitement by tens of times.

The northern sources uncovers that his acquaintances belong to the Salafist movement and are close to the Mustaqbal Party. Among them are Rabih Daher (Khaled Al-Daher’s brother), Mohammad Khalaf, and the two Futurist leaders Mazen Mohammad and Amer Oreij. It is noteworthy that Hammoud and his acquaintances are hugely pushing the doctrinal tension forward. Hammoud also progressively visits the resistance-supporting families to attract them toward his group.

Embarrassment has nothing to do with Hammoud on the level of the Mustaqbal’s announcement that it seeks establishing an Islamic emirate in the North, or even a “northern suburb to be a counterpart of Beirut’s southern suburb (Dahyeh)!“

Some northerners narrate to our website that the Mustaqbal politically opponents are exposed to several troubles aiming at exiling them from the northern area and controlling the overall region, some of which are like what happened with Sheikh Hisham Menqara who was obliged to void the mosque he was in charge of after the last clash between him and some armed members in the region, in which the responsibility of the mosque was transferred to the Fatwa Council, which, in turn, casted it aside for the sake of some individuals whose religious speech tends to serve Al-Mustaqbal’s pronounced goals.

Translated by: Zeinab Abdallah
To read Part I of this article click here
To read the Arabic version of this article click here