List of armed groups in the Lebanese Civil War
(Redirected from List of militias in the Lebanese Civil War)
The list of militias in the Lebanese Civil War does not include the "legal" Lebanese Army; note that the Army split into two major parts:
- The Christian-led "legal" Lebanese Army favoured the Lebanese Front government
- The Muslim "Lebanese Arab Army" fought for the rival Lebanese National Movement government
In addition, there was an autonomous faction within the "legal" Lebanese Army called the Army of Free Lebanon. It formed in 1976 and was composed of Maronites and Greek-Catholics reacting against the split with the mainly Muslim Lebanese Arab Army. It continued to be paid by the government, and was fully re-integrated into the "legal" army in 1978, with the exception of some units which chose instead to form the South Lebanon Army listed below.
List edit
Lebanese Front and other right-wing factions edit
| Militia | Fighters | Time | Demographic | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanese Forces | 40,000 | 1976-1994 | Maronite | Initially an umbrella organization for Maronite party militias; became an independent power structure in the year 1992. |
| Army of Free Lebanon | 3,000 | 1976-1978 | Christian | Dissident faction of the Lebanese Army |
| Tyous Team of Commandos | 100 | 1975-1985 | Maronite | |
| Zahloite Group | 500 | 1975-1978 | Christian | Formed by a middle-class man against local feudal clans |
| Kataeb Regulatory Forces | 10,000-15,000 | 1961-1984 | Maronite | |
| Kataeb Security Sections | 1,000 | 1976-1984 | Maronite | The Kataeb party's "police militia". First commander was Bashir Gemayel |
| Vanguard of the Maani Army | 200 | 1976-1978 | Druze | |
| Maronite League | 200 | 1952-current | Maronite | A military wing was formed in 1975 for the organization of Lebanese Christian Maronite notables |
| Young Men | 100 | 1976-1986 | Christian | Very loosely organised militia |
| Tigers Militia | 3,500 | 1968-1980 | Maronite | The organization was first aligned with the LF disbanded during the inter-Christian conflicts |
| Zgharta Liberation Army | 2,400-3,500 | 1967-1991 | Maronite | Operated around its power-base in northern Lebanon; pro-Syrian after 1978 |
| Popular Revolutionary Resistance Organization | Unknown | 1987 | Christian | Secretive underground party regarded as extremist. All names are believed to be the same organization. |
| Guardians of the Cedars | 6,000 | 1975-1990 | Maronite | Founder currently lives in exile |
| Lebanese Youth Movement | 500-1,000 | 1975-1977 | Maronite | Founded by right-wing Maronite university students. |
| Sons of the South | Unknown | 1983-1995 | Christian | Usually operated in the Jabal Amel region close to the Israeli-controlled 'Security Zone' |
| Assyrian Battalion | Unknown | 1980 | Assyrian | Very little is known about the militia |
| Al-Tanzim | 1,500 | 1969-1990 | Maronite | Secretive, was possibly linked to the Lebanese Army |
LNM/LNRF and other left-wing militias edit
| Militia | Fighters | Operation | Demographic | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanese Arab Army | 4,400 | 1976-1977 | Sunni | Broke away from Lebanese Army;
considered itself the legitimate Lebanese Army and at highpoint controlled 3/4 of Lebanese Army positions |
| Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Lebanon Region | 2,000[1] | 1953-current | Sunni | Syrian Ba'ath group in Lebanon |
| Arab Communist Organization | Unknown | 1969-1977 | Secular | The group focused mainly on bomb attacks and extortion attempts targeting American and British civilian and economic interests in Lebanon |
| Arab Red Knights | 1,000 | 1981-1990 | Alawite | Pro-Syrian; small but received very considerable support from Syria's Alawite leader; eventually controlled Tripoli harbour. Military wing of the Arab Democratic Party. |
| Zafer el-Khatib Forces | 200-500[2] | 1975-1991[3] | Sunni | Established a close relationship with the Shia Amal Movement |
| Kurdish Democratic Party | Unknown | 1985-1990 | Kurdish | Joined forces with the Razkari Party to form the Progressive Kurdish Front |
| People's Liberation Army | 17,000 | 1975-1994 | Druze | Power base in the Chouf and controlled its own canton |
| Communist Action Organization in Lebanon | 150-200[4] | 1973-1980s | Secular | |
| Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions | 30 | 1979-1988 | Secular | |
| Lebanese Resistance Regiments (AMAL) | 16,000 | 1975-1991 | Shi'a | Militia created with Fatah support |
| Islamic Unification Movement | 1,000 | 1982-current | Sunni | The militia had strong involvement in Tripoli and South Lebanon. |
| Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine | Unknown | 1987 | Shi'a | Claimed responsibility for the abduction of three American and one Indian professors from Beirut University College.[5][6] |
| Islamic Resistance | 5,000 | 1983-current | Shi'a | Evolved from Amal in early 1980s, initially as Iranian proxy |
| Islamic Jihad Organization | 400 | 1983-1992 | Shi'a | Claimed responsibility for many attacks and kidnapping against the United States |
| Islamic Amal | Unknown | 1982-1987 | Shi'a | The movement got its start in June 1982 when Nabih Berri, the head of Amal, agreed to participate in the Salvation Committee |
| National Liberation Army | 500-1000 | 1975-1980s | Sunni | The military wing of the Popular Nasserist Organization |
| Sixth of February Movement | 150 | 1975-1986 | Sunni | Trained by the Palestine Liberation Organization.[7] |
| Arab Socialist Action Party – Lebanon | Unknown | 1969-1980s | Secular | The party was founded by George Habash in 1969 and was closely linked to the PFLP, which Habash also led.[8][9] |
| Najjadeh Party | 100 | 1975-1976 | Secular | A party which emerged during the French era. |
| Popular Guard | 5,000 | 1970-1990 | Secular | Secular, but most members nominally from Eastern Orthodox & Oriental Orthodox communities |
| Lebanese Forces – Executive Command | 1,000 | 1986-1991 | Christian | A splinter group from the Lebanese Forces led by Elie Hobeika based in Zahle |
| Free Tigers | 200 | 1980-1981 | Christian | Dissident splinter group of the NLP Tigers after the forced merger with the Lebanese Front |
| SSNP militia | 10,000 | 1975-1990 | Secular | Advocated union with Syria;
1976 split into pro- and anti-Assad factions members linked to assassinations of Jumblatt and Gemayel |
| Nasser's Forces | Unknown | 1975-1990[10] | Sunni | The party and its military wing were supported financially and militarily by the Libyan government.[11] |
| Nasserist Unionists Movement | Unknown | 1982-current | Sunni | Splinter faction of the INM/Al-Mourabitoun |
| Al-Mourabitoun | 3,000 | 1975-1985 | Sunni | |
| Victory Divisions | 1,000 | 1975-1978 | Muslim | Pro-Syrian, military wing of the Union of Working People's Forces |
| Ba'ath militias | Unknown | 1975-1990 | Secular | Split into two rival Ba'ath militias, one pro-Iraqi, the other pro-Syrian |
| Socialist Arab Lebanon Vanguard Party | 2500 | 1966-current | secular | Iraqi Ba'ath group in Lebanon |
| Lebanese Movement in Support of Fatah | Unknown | Unknown | Sunni | LMSF received Fatah backing from the outset and joined the ranks of the Lebanese National Movement (LNM) |
| United Nasserite Organization | 50-100 | 1986-1991 | Sunni | Suspected to be merely a cover for the National Revolutionary Command (Omar al-Mukhtar) |
| Zafer el-Khatib Forces | 200-500 | 1975-1990 | Sunni | Military wing of the Toilers League |
Unaffiliated groups edit
| Militia | Fighters | Operation | Demographic | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanese Armed Forces | 50,000 | 1945-current | Secular | Had numerous splinter groups and different leaderships throughout the war |
| Front for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners | Unknown | 1980s | Secular | Obscure underground militant organization covertly formed by Israel in Lebanon in the early 1980s to undermine Palestinian and Syrian forces |
| Soldiers of the Right | Unknown | 1988-1989 | Muslim | An unknown underground group which claimed responsibility for multiple kidnappings and murders in Europe and Lebanon |
| Liberation Battalion | Unknown | 1987-1988 | Secular | Organization dedicated to attacking Syrian Army in Lebanon during the 1980s. Suspected to have relations to both LF and Hezbollah |
| M.U.R. | Unknown | 1991-1994 | Secular | liberation armed group fighting Lebanon's occupation by foreign armies in the 1990s |
| Razkari Party | Unknown | 1975-current | Kurdish |
Foreign groups edit
| Militia | Fighters | Operation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palestinian | |||
| Abu Nidal Organization | Unknown | 1974-1997 | A breakaway from Fatah led by Abu Nidal |
| Fatah | 7000 | 1965-preset | Fatah became the dominant force in Palestinian politics after the Six-Day War in 1967. |
| Fatah al-Intifada | 3500 | 1983–present | Splinter group of Fatah |
| PLFP-GC | 2000 | 1968-preset | Syrian-backed splinter group from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine |
| PFLP | 2000 | 1967–present | After the Six-Day War of June 1967 |
| PNSF | Unknown | 1985-1991 | Mostly participated in the War of the Camps |
| PPSP | 200 | 1967–present | Supported by Syria and Libya |
| As-Sa'iqa | 4500 | 1966–present | Used by Syria as a proxy force in the Palestinian movement |
| Revolutionary Palestinian Communist Party | Unknown | 1982–present | Took part in the armed resistance against the Israeli invasion in Lebanon |
| DFLP | 2500 | 1968–present | |
| Armenian | |||
| ASALA | Unknown | 1975-1991 | Committed many terrorist attacks internationally |
| Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide | Unknown | 1975-1987 | Committed many murders during the war both in Lebanon and internationally. Military wing of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation |
| Iraqi | |||
| Jihadi Wing | 2000+ | 1979-2003 | Responsible for the Iraqi embassy bombing in Beirut |
| State militaries | |||
| Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | 20000+ | 1982 | The IRGC allegedly sent troops to train fighters in response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.[12] |
| Saudi Arabia | 3200 | 1976-1979 | Part of the Arab Deterrent Force |
| Sudan | 1000 | 1976-1979 | Part of the Arab Deterrent Force |
| United Arab Emirates | 1500 | 1976-1979 | Part of the Arab Deterrent Force |
| Libya | 2000 | 1976 | Part of the Arab Deterrent Force |
| South Yemen | 1000 | 1976-1977 | Part of the Arab Deterrent Force |
| Syria | 35000 | 1976-1991 | Invaded Lebanon in 1976 |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Syria: A Country Study. Kessinger Publishing. 2004. p. 282. ISBN 978-1-4191-5022-7.
- ^ Traboulsi, Identités et solidarités croisées dans les conflits du Liban contemporain; Chapitre 12: L'économie politique des milices: le phénomène mafieux (2007), page unknown.
- ^ Barak, The Lebanese Army – A National institution in a divided society (2009), p. 173.
- ^ Makdisi and Sadaka, The Lebanese Civil War, 1975-1990 (2003), p. 44, Table 1: War Period Militias.
- ^ New York Times, January 25, 1987, March 19, 1987. A9, September 28, 1988. A9
- ^ New York Times, March 19, 1987. A9, September 28, 1988. A9
- ^ Stork, Joe. "The War of the Camps, The War of the Hostages" in MERIP Reports, No. 133. (June 1985), pp. 3–7, 22.
- ^ Lebanon: The Fragmented Nation p.171
- ^ The Republic of Lebanon: Nation in Jeopardy p.89
- ^ Almodon. خمسة أحزاب انتهت في الحرب
- ^ Frank Tachau (1 January 1994). Political Parties of the Middle East and North Africa. Greenwood Press. p. 343. ISBN 978-0-313-26649-2.
- ^ "frontline: terror and Tehran: inside Iran: the structure of power in Iran". PBS. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2011.