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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

On the curriculum at Hamas military academy: Bomb-making, wireless communication, Islam

GAZA CITY — Hamas has expanded the operations of its military academy which has received additional funding and recruits in wake of the war with Israel.   

The Abdullah Azzam Academy, in the central Gaza Strip, has been seen as vital in building an officer corps skilled in combat and leadership. The academy, launched in 2006 and located in Nusseirat, was seen as vital in building an officer corps skilled in combat and leadership.

Palestinian sources said recruitment for the academy began before the Hamas war with Israel in December 2008, Middle East Newsline reported. They said Hamas has long sought to professionalize its forces and establish a standard military training course.

Hamas has not detailed the courses provided at the academy. But a Hamas DVD found during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip cited such subjects as bomb-making, self-defense, wireless communications, camouflage and Islamic indoctrination.


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The sources said the academy would play a major role in the formation of a professional officers corps as part of a restructured Hamas military. At least 50 commanders were said to have been dismissed in 2009 for failing in their duties during the 22-day war with Israel.

Israel's state-financed Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center said the academy has also been teaching cadets how to infiltrate Israel Army outposts and abduct soldiers. The Israeli center said the Hamas academy has sought to introduce an advanced system of training, with more professional courses available in Iran, Lebanon and Syria.

The academy, named after the late mentor of Al Qaida chief Osama Bin Laden, offers four-month courses for military and security cadets. Instruction includes classroom and field training, provided by teachers who studied combat tactics in Iran, Lebanon and Syria.

"Founding the academy was part of Hamas's efforts to raise the level of its operatives' skills and activities in all the military-terrorist professions for the military buildup it has been conducting in recent years," the center said.



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