Lebanese Youth Movement (MKG)
Encyclopedia
The Lebanese Youth Movement – LYM
(Arabic: حركة الشباب اللبنانية | Harakat al-Shabab al-Lubnaniyya), also known as the Maroun Khoury Group (MKG), was
a Christian far-right militia which fought in the 1975-77 phase of the Lebanese Civil War.
district of East Beirut, Naim el-Khoury.
, the group's ideology stemmed from the extremist Phoenicist theories espoused by the Guardians of the Cedars
.
in 1975-76 and raised its own militia
with training, funds and weapons being provided by the Kataeb Party
and Israel
. It consisted of about 500-1,000 fighters, backed by a small armoured force made of ex-Lebanese army Panhard AML-90
armoured cars and Land-Rovers fitted with US M18
A1 57mm recoilless rifles and heavy machine-guns. Personally commanded by Bash Maroun, they usually operated in the Ras-el-Dekwaneh, Ain el-Rammaneh and Mansouriye
districts, manning the local sections of the Green Line
, but also fought in other areas, earning a reputation of fierce combatants.
in the Metn, and at Karantina
, al-Maslakh and Tel al-Zaatar
in East Beirut. The cruelty displayed by MKG members’ in these and other atrocities, earned them the unflattering nickname “The Ghosts of the Cemeteries” – Bash Maroun’s men were normally seen wearing necklaces made from human body parts cut from their victims. The MKG was subsequently absorbed into the Lebanese Forces
in 1977, thereafter ceasing to exist as an independent organization.
(Arabic: حركة الشباب اللبنانية | Harakat al-Shabab al-Lubnaniyya), also known as the Maroun Khoury Group (MKG), was
a Christian far-right militia which fought in the 1975-77 phase of the Lebanese Civil War.
Origins
The LYM was founded in the early 1970s as an association of Maronite right-wing university students by Bashir Maroun el-Khoury (nom de guerre "Bash Maroun"), the son of the former head of the DekwanehDekwaneh
Dekwaneh is a suburb north of Beirut in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon. The population is predominantly Marionite Christian...
district of East Beirut, Naim el-Khoury.
Political beliefs
Being violently anti-communist and anti-PalestinianPalestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
, the group's ideology stemmed from the extremist Phoenicist theories espoused by the Guardians of the Cedars
Guardians of the Cedars
The 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...
.
Civil war 1975-77
The LYM/MKG joined the Lebanese FrontLebanese Front
The Lebanese Front or Front libanais in French, also known as the "Kufur Front", was a coalition of mainly Christian parties formed in 1976, during the Lebanese Civil War...
in 1975-76 and raised its own militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
with training, funds and weapons being provided by the Kataeb Party
Kataeb Party
The Lebanese Phalanges , better known in English as the Phalange , is a traditional right-wing Lebanese political party. Although it is officially secular, it is mainly supported by Maronite Christians. The party played a major role in the Lebanese War...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. It consisted of about 500-1,000 fighters, backed by a small armoured force made of ex-Lebanese army Panhard AML-90
Panhard AML
-Former Operators:: unknown number of AML-60s and AML-90s in service between 1960-1975.: 34 Eland 90s and Eland 60s in service with the Rhodesian Security Forces in 1979, passed on to successor state.-Trivia:...
armoured cars and Land-Rovers fitted with US M18
M18
M18 or M-18 may refer to:In transportation* List of M18 roads* Miles M.18, a Miles aircraft* Mooney Mite M-18, a low-wing monoplane* PZL-Mielec M-18 Dromader, an agricultural and aerial-firefighting aircraftIn science...
A1 57mm recoilless rifles and heavy machine-guns. Personally commanded by Bash Maroun, they usually operated in the Ras-el-Dekwaneh, Ain el-Rammaneh and Mansouriye
Mansourieh
Mansourieh, is a village in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon.-Overview:...
districts, manning the local sections of the Green Line
Green Line (Lebanon)
The Green Line was a line of demarcation in Beirut, Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War from 1975 to 1990. It separated the mainly Muslim factions in West Beirut from the Christian Lebanese Front in East Beirut. The appellation refers to the coloration of the foliage that grew because the space...
, but also fought in other areas, earning a reputation of fierce combatants.
Controversy
However, they were also renowned for their brutality – In January 1976, a force of 100 LYM militiamen took part in the sieges and subsequent massacres of the Palestinian refugee camps situated at the town of DbayehDbayeh
Dbayeh in arabic , is a town located on the mediterranean sea in the matn district mount-lebanon governorate, between Beirut the capital of Lebanon ,and jounieh , almost all the population is christian exluding some gulf arabs muslims who reside in Dbayeh during the summerThe "Dog River" cuts...
in the Metn, and at Karantina
Karantina Massacre
The Karantina massacre took place early in the Lebanese Civil War on January 18, 1976. With the breakdown in authority of the Lebanese government the militancy of radical factions increased...
, al-Maslakh and Tel al-Zaatar
Tel al-Zaatar Massacre
The Tel al-Zaatar massacre took place during the Lebanese Civil War on August 12, 1976. Tel al-Zaatar was a UNRWA administered Palestinian Refugee camp housing approximately 50,000-60,000 refugees in northeast Beirut.-Background:...
in East Beirut. The cruelty displayed by MKG members’ in these and other atrocities, earned them the unflattering nickname “The Ghosts of the Cemeteries” – Bash Maroun’s men were normally seen wearing necklaces made from human body parts cut from their victims. The MKG was subsequently absorbed into the 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...
in 1977, thereafter ceasing to exist as an independent organization.
See also
- Al-TanzimAl-TanzimThe Al-Tanzim, Al-Tanzym or At-Tanzim was the name of an ultra-nationalist secret military society and militia set up by right-wing Christian activists in Lebanon at the early 1970s, and which came to play an important role in the Lebanese Civil War.-Emblem:The emblem of the group, a map of Lebanon...
- 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 FrontLebanese FrontThe Lebanese Front or Front libanais in French, also known as the "Kufur Front", was a coalition of mainly Christian parties formed in 1976, during the Lebanese Civil War...
- 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...
- Tel al-Zaatar MassacreTel al-Zaatar MassacreThe Tel al-Zaatar massacre took place during the Lebanese Civil War on August 12, 1976. Tel al-Zaatar was a UNRWA administered Palestinian Refugee camp housing approximately 50,000-60,000 refugees in northeast Beirut.-Background:...
- Karantina MassacreKarantina MassacreThe Karantina massacre took place early in the Lebanese Civil War on January 18, 1976. With the breakdown in authority of the Lebanese government the militancy of radical factions increased...
- Kataeb Regulatory ForcesKataeb Regulatory ForcesThe Kataeb Regulatory Forces – KRF or RF , Forces Regulatoires du Kataeb in French were the military wing of the right-wing Lebanese Christian Kataeb Party, otherwise known as the Phalange, from 1961 to 1977...