Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan

The Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan (Arabic: الجبهة الديمقراطية الثورية لتحرير عربستان‎, al-Jabha al-dīmuqrāṭiyya al-thawriyya li-taḥrīr ‘Arabistān) was an Iranian Arab militant group founded in 1979, most famous for the Iranian Embassy siege of 1980 in London, United Kingdom. It was led by Oan Ali Mohammed, who was killed during the siege by SAS troops.

Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan
Leader(s)Oan Ali Mohammed (KIA)
Dates of operation1979–1980
MotivesArmed resistance
Active regionsKhuzestan
IdeologyArab nationalism
Notable attacks1979 Khuzestan uprising, Iranian Embassy siege
StatusSided with Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War.[1][2] Group morphed into ASMLA.[3]

History

The DRFLA claims to have taken part in the Iranian Revolution of 1979, assisting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's revolution which overthrew the Shah. But after the 1979 Khuzestan insurgency, the DRFLA began a large-scale insurgency. In 1980, they seized 26 hostages in the Iranian embassy in London and threatened to execute them unless the United Kingdom delivered 91 Arabs incarcerated in Iranian prisons, and they asked the London ambassadors of Arab countries to mediate on their behalf with the British government. The UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher authorised Operation Nimrod, a projected assault to free the hostages. After negotiations had become bogged down, the SAS stormed the building killed DRFLA leader Oan Ali Mohammed and all but one of the other militants, with no casualties to themselves. Afterwards, the Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan unleashed no more major attacks.

See also

References
  1. Murray, Williamson; Woods, Kevin M. (2014-09-04). The Iran-Iraq War: A Military and Strategic History. ISBN 9781107062290.
  2. Johnson, Rob (2010-11-24). The Iran-Iraq War. ISBN 9781137267788.
  3. http://www.refworld.org/docid/4e9c21782.html
  • Chant, Chris: Special Forces. ISBN 978-1-4454-7214-0.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.