Independent Nasserite Movement (Al-Mourabitoun) حركة الناصريين المستقلين-المرابطون | |
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 The movement's emblem with the slogan:What is taken by force can only be recovered by force. | |
| Abbreviation | INM |
| Leader | Ibrahim Kulaylat |
| Founder | Ibrahim Kulaylat |
| Founded | 1957 (1957) |
| Headquarters | Beirut |
| Ideology | Arab nationalism Nasserism Anti-imperialism Pan-Arabism Arab socialism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
| www.almourabitoun.com | |
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Subdivisions |
TheIndependent Nasserite Movement – INM (Arabic:حركة الناصريين المستقلين-المرابطون,romanized: Harakat al-Nasiriyin al-Mustaqillin) or simplyAl-Murabitoun (المرابطون lit.The Steadfast), also termed variouslyIndependent Nasserite Organization (INO) orMovement of Independent Nasserists (MIN), is aNasseristpolitical party inLebanon.
Initially, the Movement of Independent Nasserists was the name of the political organization, whilst "al-Murabitoun" designated their militia forces. However, this distinction between political and military wings became blurred over time (and the militia has been subsequently abolished), "the Sentinels", but also meaning "Guardians" or "Saviours" – carries historical Islamic connotations (seeAlmoravids).
Founded in 1957 at Beirut by a group of Lebanese Nasserite activists led byIbrahim Kulaylat who opposed the pro-Western policies of PresidentCamille Chamoun, the INM came to prominence at the height of the1958 Civil War. The Movement’s own 2,000-strong militia, ‘The Sentinels’ (Arabic:Al-Murabitun,al-murabitûn oral-Mourabitoun), clashed with theLebanese Army and pro-government Christian militias in northern Lebanon and Beirut.[1]
Despite experiencing a temporary decline in the years immediately after the 1958 crisis, the INM remained an active force in Lebanese politics throughout the 1960s and 1970s. At the beginning of the 1970s, the Movement re-emerged as a major political faction within theSunni Muslim community, forging alliances with other anti-establishment leftist parties such as theProgressive Socialist Party (PSP) led byKamal Jumblatt and theLebanese Communist Party (LCP). In 1969 the INM became a member of the "Front for Progressive Parties and National Forces" (FPPNF), later reorganized in 1972 as theLebanese National Movement (LNM). Consistent with its Pan-Arab ideals, the radical INM was a staunch advocate of the Palestinian cause in Lebanon since the late 1960s, cultivating close political and military ties with thePalestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the immediate pre-war years.
As its name implies, the INM espoused the ideals of the late Egyptian President,Gamal Abdel Nasser, a blend ofSocialism and secularpan-Arab nationalism, expressed on his party slogan 'Freedom – Unity – Socialism' (Arabic: الحرية - الوحدة - الاشتراكية |al-Hurriyat – al-Wahdat – al-Aishtirakia). Being radically opposed to theChristian Maronite-dominated political order in Lebanon, the political goals of al-Murabitoun were to preserve theArab and secular character of Lebanon and, in the long-term, establish asocialist political and economic system.[2] The INM presented itself as being pragmatic in ideological terms however, and that its doctrine was based upon a fusion between materialistMarxist and liberalidealist theories.[3] In 1979, leading party cadre Samir Sabbagh described the INM as particularly close to theLebanese Communist Party (LCP).[2]
Although the INM claimed to be a secular, non-sectarian movement, its membership has always been overwhelmingly Muslim, being perceived within Lebanon as a predominantlySunni organization. During the Movement's resurgence in the early 1970s, it drew its support largely fromworking class’ and impoverishedpetty bourgeoisieSunnis,[4] but this did not prevent them of attracting followers from other sects. Indeed, a 1987 report used by the U.S.Library of Congress study onLebanon estimated the INM membership since the mid-1970s to be about 45%Sunni, 45%Shia and 10%Druze,[1] although other unconfirmed sources present the remaining 40% as Christians. Geographically, the movement had its epicentre in theSunni areas ofBeirut.[5]
Quietly re-formed in early 1975, their "Sentinels" militia, now known as theAl-Mourabitoun Forces (Arabic: قوات المرابطون |Quwwat al-Murabitun), started with just 150–200 poorly armed militants,[6] but it subsequently grew to 3,000–5,000 men and women drawn from the Muslim quarters ofWest Beirut placed under the command of Kulaylat himself.[7][8] Headquartered at the Tarik al-Jadida quarter of the Corniche El-Mazraa commercial district in West Beirut, the INM/al-Mourabitoun in the early 1980s numbered some 1,000 regular fighters and 2,000 reservists secretly trained by thePalestinian factions (Fatah,[4][9]PFLP andAs-Saiqa) and later byLieutenantAhmed Al-Khatib'sLebanese Arab Army.[10] Since its foundation the militia quickly attained a 'regular' outlook, attested by the high discipline and organization of its 3,000 uniformed militiamen into conventional branches of Armor, Infantry and Artillery, backed by Medical, Signals and Military Police support units. WhilstDruze,Sunni andShia Muslims filled the rank-and-file, its officer corps was staffed mostly by Sunnis and a fewChristians trained inLibya andIraq.[11]
Most of the INM/Al-Mourabitoun's own weapons and equipment were provided by the PLO, Libya,[13] Egypt, Iraq andSyria or pilfered fromLebanese Armed Forces (LAF) barracks andInternal Security Forces (ISF) police stations. Additional weaponry, vehicles and other, non-lethal military equipments were procured in the internationalblack market.
Al-Mourabitoun militiamen were provided with a variety of small-arms, includingMAS-36,Lee–Enfield SMLE Mk III,Mosin–Nagant andMauserKarabiner 98k bolt-action rifles,MAT-49,Sa 25/26[14] andCrvena Zastava Automat M56 submachine guns,M2 carbines,[15]M1 Garand (or its Italian-produced copy, the Beretta Model 1952),Beretta BM 59 andSKS[16][17]semi-automatic rifles,FN FAL,[17]M16A1,[16][17]Heckler & Koch G3,[18][19][17]Vz. 58,AK-47 andAKM assault rifles[17] (other variants included theZastava M70,[20] ChineseType 56,[21] RomanianPistol Mitralieră model 1963/1965, Bulgarian AKK/AKKS and former East German MPi-KMS-72 assault rifles).
Several models of handguns were also used, includingColt Single Action Army second generation revolvers,Tokarev TT-33,Makarov PM,CZ 75,M1911A1,FN P35 andMAB PA-15 pistols. Squad weapons consisted ofDP-28,Chatellerault FM Mle 1924/29,MG 34,[22]M1918A2 BAR,Bren,AA-52,RPK,RPD,[23]PK/PKM,FN MAG andM60 light machine guns, with heavierBrowning M1919A4 .30 Cal,Browning M2HB .50 Cal,[24]SG-43/SGM Goryunov andDShKM[25] machine guns being employed as platoon and company weapons.Heckler & Koch G3A3 assault rifles equipped with telescopic sights were used for sniping.[26][27]
Grenade launchers and portable anti-tank weapons consisted ofM203,[28]M72 LAW,RPG-2 andRPG-7[18][29]rocket launchers, whilst crew-served and indirect fire weapons includedM2 60mm mortars,82-PM-41 82mm mortars and120-PM-43 (M-1943) 120mm heavy mortars, plusType 36 57mm (Chinese-produced version of the shoulder-fired US M18 recoilless rifle),[30]Type 56 75mm (Chinese variant of the US M20 recoilless rifle),[22]B-10 82mm,B-11 107mm andM40A1 106mmrecoilless rifles (often mounted ontechnicals).[31][32] SovietPTRS-41 14.5mm anti-tank rifles were used for heavy sniping.
Created in February 1976, the Al-Mourabitoun's early armored corps initially fielded two obsolescentSherman Firefly Mk Vc medium tanks, a fewCharioteer tanks,M113[33][34] andPanhard M3 VTT[24][34]armored personnel carriers (APC),M42 DusterSPAAGs,[16]Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando,[25][32]Panhard AML-90[35][36][37] andStaghound armoured cars[38][39][40][37][41][42][43] seized from theLebanese Army and theInternal Security Forces, backed byGun trucks andtechnicals. The latter consisted of commandeeredAustin Champ, USM151A1/A2,[31][32]Willys M38A1 MD (or its civilian version, theJeep CJ-5)[44] andKaiser M715 jeeps,[23]GAZ-69A,Land-Rover series II-III,[45][46][47][48]Toyota Land Cruiser (J40),[49][31]Toyota Land Cruiser (J45),[50][51]GMC K25 Sierra,[52]Chevrolet C-10/C-15 Cheyenne light pickup trucks,[53] andChevrolet C/K 3rd generation pickup trucks,[49][54][52] plusMercedes-Benz Unimog 416 light trucks,[51]GMC K1500 medium-duty trucks,GMC C4500 medium-duty trucks andZIL-151 General purpose trucks armed withheavy machine guns,recoilless rifles andAnti-Aircraftautocannons.
For logistical support, the INM militia relied onToyota Land Cruiser (J42)hardtop,Toyota Land Cruiser (J45) andJeep Gladiator J20 light pickups,Pinzgauer 712M light all-terrain vehicles,[55]Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter Pickups,[23]Chevrolet C-50 medium-duty,Dodge F600 medium-duty andGMC C4500 medium-duty trucks, andGMC C7500 heavy-duty trucks. ModifiedPeugeot 504 pickup trucks were used as military ambulances.
Their armored corps was later expanded in October 1982 following the departure of PLO regular forces from West Beirut. INM militia forces were able to salvage a number ofBRDM-2amphibiousarmoured scout cars, tenSoviet-madeT-34/85 medium tanks,[56][57][58] fiveBTR-152 wheeled APCs,[49][59][60] two or threeZSU-23-4M1 ShilkaSPAAG tracked vehicles[61][62][63][57][64][48][65] and a fewT-34T Armoured Recovery Vehicles.[66] It is rumoured that the INM militia forces also captured oneMagach 3MBT from theIDF earlier in September 1982, though it remains unclear if this particular vehicle was taken into their service or was simply returned to its previous owners.
In addition, the seizure of some ex-PLO artillery pieces, namely obsolete SovietZiS-2 57mm[67] andZiS-3 76.2mm anti-tank guns,M1938 (M-30) 122mm howitzers andType 59-1 130mm field guns,[57][68] plus towedType 63 107mm and five truck-mountedBM-11 122mm[69][47] andBM-21 Grad 122mmMBRLs which allowed them to strengthen their own artillery corps. BritishBofors 40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns,[59] YugoslavZastava M55 20mm,[49][54][52] SovietZPU (ZPU-1, ZPU-2, ZPU-4) 14.5mm[70][52] andZU-23-2 23mm[60] AAautocannons (mounted ontechnicals,ZIL-151 trucks andM113 andBTR-152 APCs)[71][72] were employed in bothair defense and direct fire supporting roles. In addition to AA guns and autocannons, the INM/Al-Murabitoun received either from Syria or the PLO a number of man-portable, shoulder-launched SovietSA-7 Grail surface-to-air (SAM) missiles, which they employed againstIsraeli Air Force (IAF)fighter-bomber jets during the1982 Lebanon War.[73]
Stubborn and determined fighters, adept at employing guerrilla tactics in urban areas, the INM/al-Mourabitoun operated mainly within West Beirut, controlling by the mid-1980s the important Mahallat Abu Shaker,Wadi Abu Jamil,Hamra, Corniche El-Mazraa, Corniche El-Manara, Bashoura,Basta El-Tahta,Chyah andRas Beirut districts and quarters. They also operated two clandestine ports located atOuza'i district and at theAin El-Mreisseh waterfront sector of the Lebanese capital, which were used primarily for arms-smuggling in collusion with theSidon-basedPopular Nasserist Organization (PNO).[74] A third illegal port located at theKarantina dock area inEast Beirut was briefly held by the INM since November 1975, until being forced out by the Christian militias on January 18, 1976.[75]
Like other Lebanese factions, the INM operated its own media services. A radio station was set up in 1975, the "Voice of Arab Lebanon" (Arabic:Iza'at Sawt Lubnan al-Arabi), followed in 1982 by a television station, the "Television of Arab Lebanon" (Arabic:Televizyon Lubnan al-Arabi), their broadcasting facilities being allocated at the Mahallat Abu Shaker Party headquarters' offices near theGamal Abdel Nasser Mosque.[76]
They also had a medical relief agency, designated theLebanese Red Crescent Association (Arabic: جمعية الهلال الأحمر اللبناني |Jameiat al-Hilal al-Ahmar al-Lubnaniyya), best known asAl-hilal for short.
When theLebanese Civil War broke out in April 1975, as a member of the LNM[2] the INM/Al-Mourabitoun was an active founder of its military wing, the Joint Forces (LNM-JF). The movement claimed that was the first amongst the Lebanese "progressive" militias during the war,[3] and by 1977 it was the largest organization within the LNM-JF, both in terms of popular support and military capacity.[4]
During the1975-77 phase of the Lebanese Civil War, the al-Mourabitoun militia forces were heavily committed in several battles and suffered considerable casualties, especially at theBattle of the Hotels in October 1975 where they engaged ChristianKataeb Regulatory Forces andTigers Militia fighters,[1][77] and later at the 'Spring Offensive' held againstEast Beirut andMount Lebanon in March 1976. They also took part on January 20 of that same year in the violent (and controversial) sieges of the Christian towns of Es-Saadiyat,Damour, andJiyeh in theIqlim al-Kharrub, on the side of PLO andPalestine Liberation Army (PLA) units to avenge the earlierTel al-Zaatar massacre by theLebanese Front militias.[78][79]
TheSyrian military intervention of June 1976 – which the INM/al-Mourabitoun initially strongly opposed, even fighting theSyrian Army at theBattle of Bhamdoun in theAley District,[80][81] but gradually came to terms with it[5] – and the slow decline of the Movement's political role at the beginning of the 1980s, caused their influence within theSunni community to wane, losing in the end its final base of support amongst the political and intellectual elites.
Towards the end of the 1970s heavy casualties and their involvement in atrocities against non-Muslims caused the number of militants from other sects in the ranks to drop sharply, a situation further aggrieved by internal splits that occurred at the early 1980s. This led a significant number of prominentSunnis – such as the juristWalid Eido and the activist Samir Sabbagh – to leave the INM leadership board to set up their own organizations, and thereby the Movement became an exclusively Sunni Muslim force. Relations with its Lebanese coalition partners were also strained to the point of the al-Mourabitoun battling rival Nasserite parties such as theNasserite Correctionist Movement (NCM) in November 1975 over control of theKarantina district in East Beirut,[82] later fighting theSyrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) factions in 1980–81 for the possession of certain West Beirut quarters.
Nevertheless, the al-Mourabitoun did not lost its military capabilities, and during theJune 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, they helped the PLO in the defense of the southwestern outskirts of the Lebanese Capital fromIDF attacks until the end of the siege in September of that year. The 1982 Israeli Judicial inquiry intoevents in Beirut estimated that the strength of the al-Mourabitoun in West Beirut was 7,000 fighters.[83]
On January 29, 1983, the Israeli-runFront for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners (FLLF) detonated a car-bomb close to theFatah HQ atChtaura, and another in West Beirut, close to the HQ of the INM/al-Mourabitoun. Some sixty people were killed and hundreds wounded.[84]
Ibrahim Kulaylat emerged from the wreck of the LNM and the Palestinian withdrawal as the dominant Sunni leader, though he opted not to join the LNRF/Jammoul nor the pro-Syrian LNSF alliances in the mid-1980s, and consequently the political influence of the INM/al-Murabitoun had waned significantly.[85] The Movement initially waged its own guerrilla war at the Beirut area against Israeli forces, but later fought in a more conventional fashion at the 1983–84Mountain War allied with theDruze PSP/PLA, the LCP/Popular Guard and SSNP in theChouf District against the ChristianLebanese Forces (LF) and the Lebanese Army.[1] Later during theCoastal War in March–April 1985, the Al-Mourabitoun joined in a Syrian-backed coalition with thePopular Nasserist Organization (PNO), the Druze PSP/PLA and theShi'iteAmal Movement, which defeated the ChristianLebanese Forces (LF) attempts to establish bridgeheads atDamour andSidon.[86]
This alliance was short-lived, however, and in March 1985, the Druze PSP/PLA stormed and seized the Al-Mourabitoun facilities in West Beirut, including their Party' Headquarters and their radio and television studios. When theWar of the Camps broke out in April that year at West Beirut, it saw the Al-Mourabitoun allied with the PLO, the NasseriteSixth of February Movement, theCommunist Action Organization in Lebanon (OCAL), and theKurdish Democratic Party – Lebanon (KDP-L) pitted against a powerful coalition of ShiaAmal movement, pro-SyrianSSNP-L,[87] theLebanese Army,[88] and anti-Arafat dissident Palestinian guerrilla factions of thePalestinian National Salvation Front backed bySyria. Eventually, the al-Murabitoun was crushed after a week of brutal fighting,[89] and ceased to exist as a significant fighting force. Following its defeat, the movement lost many of its Shia foot-soldiers and members, becoming an almost exclusivelySunni Muslim militia.
Deprived from its own military wing, the weakened INM went underground again for the remainder of the war and gradually withered away, forcing Ibrahim Kulaylat to flee the Country in 1986 to seek asylum inSwitzerland.[1] Some remnants of the Al-Mourabitoun, however, remained at large in West Beirut, waging a fierce guerrilla war against theSyrian Army until February 1987, only to be brutally suppressed in the 1987–88 anti-militia sweeps carried out jointly bySyrian Commando troops and the LebaneseInternal Security Forces (ISF).
After a long period of inactivity throughout the 1990s, the INM finally returned to the spotlight in April 2001, when they announced in a press conference held in Beirut their official comeback to Lebanese domestic politics. In 2006 it re-opened offices in Beirut, the North (Tripoli and theAkkar), theBeqaa Valley and the South (Jabal Amel). The movement is still headed by Ibrahim Kulaylat.
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