Who is Aqel Hashem?
Lebanon, Politics, 1/31/2000

The Lebanese resistance on Sunday said in a statement that Aqel Ibrahim Hashem was born in Dubble town, Bint Jbeil district in 1952. He was married to Laya Kassab from Sidon district and has five children.

His elder son, Elias, studies in one of the universities in occupied Palestine.

In 1970 Aqel joined the Lebanese military school, and in 1976 he acquired the post of a sergeant in the army. In the same year he moved to his village, Dubble where he established a party group under the supervision of the Israeli intelligence.

Following the Israeli invasion in 1978, Hashem's activities expanded to villages of the western sector and he had a main role in establishing security groups working for the Israeli intelligence. He was appointed as responsible for leading the western sector leadership in the "Free Lebanon Army" after the state of the "Free Lebanon" was declared by the late hireling Saad Haddad.

In 1985, when the South Lebanon Army was established under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Antoine Lahd, Hashem was assigned the responsibility of leading the western contingent and was awarded the grade of colonel.

In 1987 he was assigned by the Israeli intelligence to supervise the security of various villages of the western and central sectors. Backed by the Israeli intelligence he recruited several Lebanese staying abroad to send them to Lebanon to collect information about the Lebanese resistance.

In 1995, Israel tried seriously to assign him the leadership of the SLA due to his firm ties with them, a matter which created friction between him and Lahd. In addition, he was assigned the task of coordinating with the UNIFIL in the occupied strip of south Lebanon. In 1996 Hashem received Israeli citizenship.

In 1977 Hashem attacked, leading a group of the SLA, Hanin and Maroun al-Raas, expelled the citizens, destroyed several houses and killed several citizens.

In 1978, during the Israeli invasion, Hashem, leading another group, attacked several villages and arrested their citizens, killing many of them and ordering the bodies to be thrown in the well of Hanin town. He carried out the "Thursday Market " (Souq al-Khamis) massacre in Bin Jbeil town which claimed the life of tens of persons. In 1981 he attacked Barachit village and killed four of its citizens.

Following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon he sent one of his followers to plant a booby trapped car in Ein al-Mreseh in Beirut, which resulted in killing several citizens.

He participated, besides the Israelis, in Sabra and Chatilla massacres and ordered the assassination of Abdul Latif al-Amin.

He also helped the Israelis put Lebanese citizens and resistance members in Khiam prison and used to impose monetary penalties on citizens of the area of the occupied strip. He was wounded several times during operations carried out by the Lebanese resistance between 1989 and 1995.

Previous Stories:
  Israel accepts Lahd's resignation from leadership of Israeli-allied militias   (12/9/1999)
  Lahoud: We will not accept arrangements that give assurances to occupation   (6/4/1999)

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