New Islamic militia forms in Lebanon

TRIPOLI, Lebanon, March 16 (UPI) -- A new militant Islamic organization, Fatah al Islam, has formed at a refugee camp in Tripoli, Lebanon, under the leadership of a Palestinian fugitive.

The new organization is led by Shakir al-Abssi, a former associate of deceased al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was sentenced to death in absentia alongside the slain leader for the 2002 assassination of Laurence Foley, a U.S. diplomat in Jordan, The New York Times reported Friday.

U.S. intelligence officials estimate that Abssi has amassed a force of 150 men armed with explosives, rockets and an anti-aircraft gun since setting up shop in the refugee camp four months ago, the Times said.

The officials told the newspaper that Abssi appears to be trying to emulate the role Zarqawi filled in Iraq.

"He is trying to fill a void and do so in a high-profile manner that will attract the attention of supporters," a U.S. intelligence official said on condition of anonymity.

Abssi told the Times he believes the United States needs to be punished for meddling in the Islamic world.

"The only way to achieve our rights is by force," he said. "This is the way America deals with us. So when the Americans feel that their lives and their economy are threatened, they will know that they should leave."