Word: militiaization
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...counsel and logistical support. Christian officers of the Lebanese armed forces turned over to the militiamen an arsenal of U.S. weapons that had been destined for the country's moribund, ineffective army. Contemplating the grim fact that more than two dozen armed factions are now operating in Lebanon, Militia Leader Chamoun asked pointedly: "What is Lebanon - a sovereign state or a whorehouse...
...Maronites feared that the well-armed Palestinians would not only create a P.L.O.-run state within a state inside Lebanon but also turn the country into another confrontation power. In 1975, as clashes between Christians and Palestinians escalated into full-scale civil war, the Maronite militia turned to Israel for arms and training. A certain elitism - and a mutual hatred of Syrians - has nurtured the longstanding bond between the Israelis and the Europe-oriented Maronites, who regard themselves as a bastion of Western civilization in the Arab world. As a Christian militia officer explained last week, "We feel, like...
Officials in the eastern sector said more than two-thirds of the 600,000 Christians here have fled to the mountains or the country. The remainder, mostly poorer residents, have stayed behind to support the militia or to protect their property from looting...
...right-wing militia campaign to seize two strategic bridges from the Syrians that lead into East Beirut and out of the city to the north could be a push for an escape route...
...Syrians may soon launch an offensive against Jounieb, the unofficial Christian capital 12 miles north of Beirut, the only remaining supply port for the militia, observers said...