The Lebanese resistance guerrilla group Hezbollah (Party of God) on Tuesday denied sending its members to Iraq to fight the ongoing US-led invasion of Iraq.
"None of Hezbollah's members has gone to Iraq to carry out operations," the organization said in a statement.
"We reject the American aggression and support the Iraqi people's confrontation to this aggression. We also call on the Arab and Muslim world to reject this aggression through appropriate means. But Hezbollah has not participated militarily in this battle," the statement said.
Hezbollah, the Shiite Muslim militant group, had spearheaded resistance against a 22-year Israeli occupation of south Lebanon, which ended in May 2000.
The group is on a US list of international terrorist organizations.
Thousands of fighters from Egypt, Syria and other Arab countries have reportedly been fighting against the US-led coalition forces in Iraq.
Defying international opposition, the United States and Britain launched a war against Iraq on March 20 in a bid to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Iraq has denounced the invaders as "criminals" and "villains," while urging the international community to stop the "aggression" unconditionally.
(Xinhua News Agency April 8, 2003)
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