Information on a group called al-Ansar [LBN12788]

Information on this subject is scarce.

According to a professor of Political Sciences at the Université du Québec à Montréal, al-Ansar is a mainly Christian militia created because the Lebanese army was unable to successfully recruit among young Christians (26 Jan. 1993). The professor added that this paramilitary organization has a similar status as the reserve, but it is submitted to a stricter military training (Ibid.). General Aoun re-energized this organization with new recruits during his war against the Syrian army (Ibid.). This organization is not currently active (Ibid.).

In a book published in 1990, Robert Fisk reported the existence of an Israeli-controlled prison camp called Ansar (1990, 455). This information was corroborated by the professor of Political Sciences at the Université du Québec à Montréal, who further reported that this prison was located in the Israeli self- declared "security zone" near the village of Ansar (26 Jan. 1993).

Additional and/or corroborating information on this subject is currently unavailable to the DIRB in Ottawa.

References

Fisk, Robert. 1990. Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War. London, U.K.: Andre Deutsch Limited.

Université du Québec à Montréal, Department of Political Sciences. 26 January 1992. Telephone Interview with Professor.