Liberation Battalion
Encyclopedia
The Liberation Battalion – LB (Arabic: Afwaj al-Tahrir) or Battalion de la Liberation (BL) in French
was a small, shadowy terrorist organization dedicated to attacking Syrian Army
forces in Lebanon
during the mid-late 1980s. Apparently a mixed Christian
-Muslim
group of unknown strength, it is believed that the Liberation Battalion was associated both with the larger Lebanese Islamic resistance movement and the Christian Lebanese Forces
(LF), but carried out its own actions independently. The Liberation Battalion released its manifesto soon after being formed in early October 1987, establishing their primary goal as an armed resistance movement to the perceived Syrian occupation of Lebanon. Other objectives included an end to sectarian violence and a negotiation towards terms of coexistence and mutual respect as well as complete independence from all foreign occupation or interference of any kind. Operating mainly on the urban and sub-urban areas of Beirut
, they claimed responsibility for at least ten guerrilla attacks targeting Syrian troops in Lebanon from October to December 1987, mostly through public statements made to the LF-controlled station Radio Free Lebanon. Such actions prompted a direct response by the Syrian military, usually in the form of raids on villages and neighbourhoods suspected of supporting the Liberation Battalion cause, particularly at west Beirut, where they rounded up hundreds of suspects. These waves of arrests may account for the sudden halt of the group’s activities and their subsequent disappearance by early 1988. They are now presumed inactive.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
was a small, shadowy terrorist organization dedicated to attacking Syrian Army
Syrian Army
The Syrian Army, officially called the Syrian Arab Army, is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military service of the four uniformed services, controlling the senior most posts in the armed forces, and has the greatest manpower, approximately 80 percent of the...
forces in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
during the mid-late 1980s. Apparently a mixed Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
-Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
group of unknown strength, it is believed that the Liberation Battalion was associated both with the larger Lebanese Islamic resistance movement and the Christian Lebanese Forces
Lebanese Forces
The Lebanese Forces is a Lebanese political party. Founded as a militia by Bachir Gemayel during the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as the main militia within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front...
(LF), but carried out its own actions independently. The Liberation Battalion released its manifesto soon after being formed in early October 1987, establishing their primary goal as an armed resistance movement to the perceived Syrian occupation of Lebanon. Other objectives included an end to sectarian violence and a negotiation towards terms of coexistence and mutual respect as well as complete independence from all foreign occupation or interference of any kind. Operating mainly on the urban and sub-urban areas of Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, they claimed responsibility for at least ten guerrilla attacks targeting Syrian troops in Lebanon from October to December 1987, mostly through public statements made to the LF-controlled station Radio Free Lebanon. Such actions prompted a direct response by the Syrian military, usually in the form of raids on villages and neighbourhoods suspected of supporting the Liberation Battalion cause, particularly at west Beirut, where they rounded up hundreds of suspects. These waves of arrests may account for the sudden halt of the group’s activities and their subsequent disappearance by early 1988. They are now presumed inactive.
See also
- Lebanese civil warLebanese Civil WarThe Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
- Lebanese ForcesLebanese ForcesThe Lebanese Forces is a Lebanese political party. Founded as a militia by Bachir Gemayel during the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as the main militia within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front...
- Guardians of the CedarsGuardians of the CedarsThe Guardians of the Cedars – GoC , also designated Gardiens du Cedre or Gardiens des Cèdres in French, are a far-right ultranationalist Lebanese party and former militia in Lebanon...
- Lebanese Liberation FrontLebanese Liberation FrontThe Lebanese Liberation Front – LLF , Front de Liberation Libanais in French was an underground terrorist group of nationalist trend formed in February 1987...
- Popular Revolutionary Resistance OrganizationPopular Revolutionary Resistance OrganizationDespite the deceiving ‘leftist’ trend of its title, the Popular Revolutionary Resistance Organization – PRRO or Organisation de la Resistance Populaire Révolutionnaire in French was a Phoenicist-oriented, anti-Syrian Lebanese Christian underground terrorist group that emerged in March 1987, being...
- Sons of the SouthSons of the SouthThe Sons of the South – SotS were a small and obscure Lebanese Christian terrorist faction based in southern Lebanon, allegedly funded and trained by the Israeli Defense Forces intelligence service...