Iron Guard of Egypt

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The Iron Guard of Egypt was a secret pro-Axis society and royalist political movement formed in Egypt in the early 1930s [1] and used by King Farouk for personal and political vendettas. [2] The guard was involved in attacks on Farouk's declared enemies, [3] operating with a license to kill, and is believed to have taken orders from Farouk personally. [4] Its other functions included protecting Farouk, serving as a special operations force, and gathering military intelligence. [5]

Contents

History and members

Thought to have been formed during the 1930s [6] by Aribert Heim (this claim is backed by the appearance of the Iron Guard of Palestine [7] and the Iron Guard of Romania in the same time period), [8] It was made up mostly of army officers and was connected to the Free Officers, a secret military group. [9] The Iron Guard ceased operations in 1952. [8]

Yusuf Rashad was the chief organizer of the Iron Guard in 1944 or 1945, [10] [11] and recruited Anwar Sadat. [12] Another leader was Captain Mustafa Kamil Sidqi. [9] Members included Muhammad Ibrahim Kamel, [13] Nahed Rashad, [13] and General Hussein Sirry Amer. [8]

Actions

The Iron Guard's acts of political violence in Egypt included the assassinations of Amin Osman, a former finance minister, in 1944; of Rafik al-Tarzi in 1945; [14] and of the Muslim Brotherhood leader Hassan al-Banna in 1949. [8] They also attempted twice, in 1945 and 1948, to assassinate Mustafa el-Nahhas. [15]

Twelve members of the Iron Guard were court-martialed in Cairo on October 2, 1952, on charges of instigating and carrying out assassinations. [8] They included General Amer, who was charged with the murder of an army maintenance corps lieutenant, hashish smuggling, and desertion. [8] Five of the members were charged with murdering al-Banna. [8]

References

  1. ↑ "Sadat and His Legacy" . Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Reid, Donald M. (1982). "Political Assassination in Egypt, 1910–1954". The International Journal of African Historical Studies. 15 (4). Boston University African Studies Center: 625–651. doi:10.2307/217848. JSTOR   217848.
  3. ↑ "Anwar Sadat Facts" . Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "Egypt's teenage queen". Al-Ahram. 5 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Hashem, Farouk; Abou-Sabe', Morad (2014). Farida, the Queen of Egypt: A Memoir of Love and Governance. AuthorHouse. ISBN   9781491871744.
  6. ↑ Mesryoon [ dead link ]
  7. ↑ Iron Guard during the 1936–1939 Great Revolt in Palestine
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Farouk's 'Iron Guard' in Court Martial Trials". The Townsville Daily Bulletin. 3 October 1952. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  9. 1 2 Reid, Donald M. (1982). "Political Assassination in Egypt, 1910–1954" . The International Journal of African Historical Studies. 15 (4): 625–651. doi:10.2307/217848. JSTOR   217848.
  10. ↑ Goldschmidt, Jr, Arthur (2013). Historical Dictionary of Egypt. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810880252 . Retrieved 11 August 2023– via Google Books.
  11. ↑ Tripp, Charles (2002). Contemporary Egypt: Through Egyptian Eyes: Essays in Honour of P.J. Vatikiotis. Routledge. ISBN   9781134927050 . Retrieved 11 August 2023– via Google Books.
  12. ↑ Reich, Bernard (1990). Political Leaders of the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN   9780313262135 . Retrieved 11 August 2023– via Google Books.
  13. 1 2 ar:الحرس الحديدي
  14. ↑ "The Body Matured, but the Mind Didn't". today.almasryalyoum.com. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  15. ↑ Aboul-Enein, Youssef H.; Aboul-Enein, Basil H. (2013). The Secret War for the Middle East: The Influence of Axis and Allied Intelligence Operations During World War II. Naval Institute Press. ISBN   9781612513096.

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