Sunday, 9 March 2014

Al Qaeda-linked militants in Lebanon apologize for civilian deaths

A Sunni Lebanese militant group linked to al Qaeda has apologized for the civilian casualties of a suicide bombing last month and said its fight was against Iran and its ally Hezbollah, not Shi'ites in general.
The Abdullah Azzam Brigades took credit for a February 19 attack on Shi'ite Iran's cultural center in Beirut that killed eight people in an area where support for the Shi'ite political and military movement Hezbollah runs strong.
But in an unusual statement published on Islamist websites and on the group's Twitter feed, the group said it had intended the explosions to go off in an area where shrapnel would not reach the main street, so as to spare civilian lives.
"The Abdullah Azzam Brigades' operations do not target Shi'ites in general, or any other sect, and we always stress to our martyrdom-seekers to be cautious and abort an operation if they think it could kill others than those targeted," it said.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/08/us-lebanon-blasts-idUSBREA270L120140308

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