Talking To Al Qaeda In Lebanon

Speaking of Nibras Kazimi, I just came across his blog. He's currently translating a marathon interview with Faisal Akbar published in Al-Akhbar last week. Akbar was an Al Qaeda militant arrested in Beirut who first admitted to being part of the Hariri assassination, and later recanted. While the first part of the interview does not break any new ground regarding Lebanese political developments, it is a rare look into the organizational structure of a movement that generally remains out of the public eye. For example:

"Usually, the mujaheddin from Lebanon are received after they have been vouched for from persons who are already members in the group, and they are activists who have already pledged allegiance, and they are trustworthy. After someone arrives from Lebanon, he is received in Syria, and is taken to a place that we call a 'madhafeh' [guest house], without letting him know the route or address, and the procedures are called 'secure transfer.' Then this person usually undergoes a security seminar...During this time, he pledges allegiance to the Emir, which binds him to working with the group. I should add that it is the right of a mujahid to stipulate during his pledge of allegiance whether he would be a fighter or a suicide bomber, or to stipulate that he is only to fight the Americans, or to set any conditions that the mujahid may want.