A radical Lebanese Shi'ite military force,
established by Musa Sadr in the 1970s; its
headquarters are at Borj al-Barajneh. The
movement split into extremist and moderate
groups 1982, but both sides agreed on the aim
of increasing Shi'ite political
representation in Lebanon. The Amal militia
under Nabi Berri fought several bloody
battles against the Hezbollah (Party of God)
in 1988. 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.