Vanguard of the Maani Army (Movement of the Druze Jihad)

The Vanguard of the Maani Army (Movement of the Druze Jihad) – VMA (MDJ) (Arabic: طليعة جيش المعاني (حركة الجهاد الدرزي) | Taleat Jayish al-Maani (Harakat al-Jihad al-Duruzi)) was a predominantly Druze splinter faction of the Lebanese Army that came to play a role in the 1975–77 phase of the Lebanese Civil War. == Origins == The VMA (MJD) was formed in October 1976, following the break-up early that same year of the Lebanese Army into four rival groups or factions, including a predominately Muslim faction, the Lebanese Arab Army (LAA), aligned with the left-wing Lebanese National Movement (LNM) and a mainly Christian faction, the Army of Free Lebanon (AFL) aligned in turn with the right-wing Lebanese Front.

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