Militant Group Gets Help From Teens
Israel's military killed or arrested most of the leaders in the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade when it stormed into West Bank cities two months ago. But now the militia is rebuilding itself with an army of volunteers, including teen-agers.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing and two shootings that killed six Israelis -- including a toddler and three teen-agers -- on Monday and Tuesday, and also was behind several other recent assaults.

While most suicide bombers have been men in their 20s, two Al Aqsa attacks in the past week were carried out by teen-agers -- one 16, the other 18. The 16-year-old, Issa Bdeir, from a refugee camp in Bethlehem, was the youngest of more than 60 Palestinian suicide bombers in the current conflict.

``We came out of the Israeli invasion very weak, we lost so many of our leaders and cadres,'' said Abu Mujahed, the nom de guerre for the Al Aqsa spokesman in the West Bank city of Nablus.

``But we found a lot of young people who wanted to join us,'' he said in an interview with The Associated Press. ``It's not as easy to make explosives and store them as before, because the Israelis are still coming in and out of the area. This hurts our activities, but doesn't stop them.''

The group, which emerged shortly after the Palestinian uprising began in September 2000, is linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement -- but is increasingly at odds with Arafat's leadership over his call for an end to suicide bombings.

A Palestinian intelligence officer in Nablus, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the militants were being monitored -- but not arrested -- and a large number of youths, ages 16 to 20, were joining Al Aqsa to replace those killed or arrested.

With many unemployed youths hanging out in the streets, recruiting is easy for Al Aqsa, he said. ``Resistance in Palestinian society is growing like a mushroom,'' the officer said.

Bassam Naem, a Fatah leader in Nablus, said the group now has ``clear directions to stop suicide attacks inside Israel because it has brought a very bad result. No one in the world accepts killing women and children.''

Asked how the Fatah movement should deal with the Al Aqsa group if it continues to carry out suicide attacks, he said, ``We should not fight the Al Aqsa Brigades. We should deal with them, meet with them, and change their direction.''

…Abu Majahed, the group's spokesman in Nablus, said Al Aqsa has become increasingly alienated from the Fatah leadership and would not accept orders to halt attacks.

``We are very upset by Arafat's decision and Fatah's decision that the Al Aqsa Brigades should stop its operations,'' Abu Mujahed said. ``They are not representing us. We are doing what our people want us to do, not Arafat and Fatah leadership.''

``We will respond in a very violent way if any measure is taken against us by the Palestinian Authority,'' he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Palestinians-Militants-Regroup.html