Amal

Radical Lebanese Shiite military force, established by Musa Sadr in the 1970s; its headquarters are in Borj al-Barajneh. The movement split into extremist and moderate groups in 1982, but both sides agreed on the aim of increasing Shiite political representation in Lebanon.

Amal guerrillas were responsible for many of the attacks and kidnappings in Lebanon during the 1980s, although subsequently the group came to be considered one of the more mainstream elements on the Lebanese political scene. The Amal militia under Nabih Berri fought several bloody battles against the Hezbollah (Party of God) in 1988.