Zarate Willka Armed Forces of Liberation
Encyclopedia
Zarate Willka Armed Forces of Liberation (Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Zárate Willca) was a Bolivia
n guerrilla
terrorist group
which was organized about 1985 and surfaced with a series of bombings, assassinations, and attempted assassinations in La Paz, Bolivia during 1988 and 1989. They claimed responsibility for an assassination attempt on United States Secretary of State
George P. Shultz
in August, 1988, the bombing of the Bolivian Parliament in December, 1988, another bombing which caused a local blackout, the bombing of a LDS Church meetinghouse
, the slaying of two American
Mormon missionaries
(Elders Jeffrey Brent Ball and Todd Ray Wilson) on May 24, 1989, and the bombing of the US Embassy in a failed attempt to assassinate US Ambassador Robert S. Gelbard
on December 20, 1989. By 1991, most members of the group had been apprehended, tried, convicted and imprisoned, and the organization was effectively disbanded.
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
terrorist group
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
which was organized about 1985 and surfaced with a series of bombings, assassinations, and attempted assassinations in La Paz, Bolivia during 1988 and 1989. They claimed responsibility for an assassination attempt on United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
George P. Shultz
George P. Shultz
George Pratt Shultz is an American economist, statesman, and businessman. He served as the United States Secretary of Labor from 1969 to 1970, as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1972 to 1974, and as the U.S. Secretary of State from 1982 to 1989...
in August, 1988, the bombing of the Bolivian Parliament in December, 1988, another bombing which caused a local blackout, the bombing of a LDS Church meetinghouse
Meeting house
A meeting house describes a building where a public meeting takes place. This includes secular buildings which function like a town or city hall, and buildings used for religious meetings, particularly of some non-conformist Christian denominations....
, the slaying of two American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Mormon missionaries
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
(Elders Jeffrey Brent Ball and Todd Ray Wilson) on May 24, 1989, and the bombing of the US Embassy in a failed attempt to assassinate US Ambassador Robert S. Gelbard
Robert S. Gelbard
Robert S. Gelbard is a diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Bolivia and Indonesia . He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy, and is a 1964 graduate of Colby College and a 1979 graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, where he received a Master of Public Administration.In the...
on December 20, 1989. By 1991, most members of the group had been apprehended, tried, convicted and imprisoned, and the organization was effectively disbanded.