Tripoli Young Man 'Abu al-Walid' Killed Fighting in Iraq

Lebanese young man Hussein Haidar, who hails from the northern city of Tripoli, has been killed while fighting alongside extremist Sunni groups in Iraq.

The Tripoli News Network Facebook page announced on Saturday the death of Haidar, who is nicknamed “Abu al-Walid", saying he was killed fighting alongside the Islamic State group.

Meanwhile, al-Ahed website which is close to Hizbullah stated that “Haidar was killed when he blew himself up in a suicide operation near an Iraqi army checkpoint.”

Haidar is 18 years old and hails from al-Bahsa in Tripoli.

The same website said that “he went to fight alongside al-Nusra (Front) in Syria with 10 others from Tripoli, and then he moved to Iraq.”

Many Lebanese fighters, mainly from northern Lebanon, have joined the jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

Jihadi recruitment in impoverished Sunni areas of northern Lebanon is on the rise, and black Islamic State group flags fly freely in some areas, reflecting pockets of growing support for the radical group.

M.Y.

Y.R.