Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain
The Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain (Arabic: الجبهة الإسلامية لتحرير البحرين) was a Shi'a Islamist militant group[1] that advocated theocratic rule in Bahrain from 1981 to the 1990s. It was based in Iran and trained and financed by Iranian intelligence and Revolutionary Guards.[2]
"IFLB" redirects here. For the football body, see International Football League Board.
Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain الجبهة الإسلامية لتحرير البحرين
1990s Bombings[edit]
The 1981 coup was not a success and following the failure to spur revolution, the Front became associated with bomb attacks, often against ‘soft’ civilian targets. On 1 November 1996, the Front claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Diplomat Hotel, with the group telling the Associated Press "We put a bomb in the Diplomat hotel 20 minutes ago...after the feast...tell the government that we will destroy everyplace."[10] In the 1990s uprising in Bahrain the Front only played a marginal role, as its relationship with Iran, the perception that it represented the “Shirazi faction” (i.e. followers of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Shirazi) despite the fact that Shirazi and Khomeini had complicated relationships and its strategy of bombings all served to undermine its support among the wider community.
Dissolution[edit]
The IFLB was disbanded in 2002 in response to King Hamad's reforms. Its members were amnestied from prison and exile and most returned to Bahrain to work within the political process in 2001, and were active in the Islamic Action Party and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.[11] The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights was banned in 2004, and the Islamic Action Party was banned in 2011, when it supported the 2011 Bahraini uprising.