Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Terranihil
| Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Terranihil | |
|---|---|
| Dólan Freintónelethe ul Halmivek er Teraníl | |
| File:DFLT flag.png The DFLT's flag | |
| Founding leader | Mikel Therúnk |
| Dates of operation | 2010 - present |
| Motives | Toppling the Terranilian government and eliminating Islam from Terranihil |
| Headquarters |  Lyoa (alleged, denied) |
| Active regions | File:Flag terranihil new 2.png Terranihil |
| Ideology | anti-Islam, anti-nationalism, anti-authoritarianism |
| Allies | Lyoa (alleged, denied) |
| Opponents | File:Flag terranihil new 2.png Terranihil |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | File:Flag terranihil new 2.png Terranihil |
| Colours | red and blue |
The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Terranihil (DFLT) (Terranilian: Dólan Freintónelethe ul Halmivek er Teraníl) is a terrorist organization in western Terranihil. The DFLT seeks the end of the Terranilian government, the reestablishment of democracy, and the removal of Islam from Terranihil. They have killed 55 Terranilians, 29 of which were Muslim. The DFLT was founded in 2010 by Mikel Therúnk. The Terranilian government believed the group was destroyed, but the DFLT reemerged in 2020. The Department of External Intelligence has accused the Lyoan Special Security Service of funding, weaponizing and training the DFLT, as well as hiding the group's leadership in Lyoa. Lyoa has denied these allegation.
History
Formation
The exact history of the formation of the DFLT is unclear. The DFLT was founded by Mikel Therúnk, an ex-professor of history at the University of Intemil. Therúnk was let go for suggesting that the Terranilian economy would have prospered more if the Progressive Revolution never happened. In 2010, Therúnk met with Jožua Mógrais, an ex-member of the Free Chrisitan Army (FCA), and decided to start an antigovernment organization to fight for the reinstatement of democracy. Therúnk recruited one other professor and two students, and Mógrais recruited four militants from the FCA.
Early Operations
Although Therúnk was the offcial leader and face of the DFLT, Mógrais, who was more experienced in guerilla warfare from his time in the FCA, planned most of the attacks. It is probable that Mógrais's anti-Islamic ideology heavily influenced Therúnk, who did not seem to hold religious prejudices at first.
The newly formed DFLT immediately began planning their first attack on the University of Intemil, Therúnk's old workplace. On November 2, 2010, the group placed an explosive device in a lecture hall capable of holding several hundred students. The explsove was supposed to detonate in the middle of a packed lecture, but a malfunction caused the explosive to detonate about thirty minutes late after most students had left. The bomb still killed two students and injured two others.
The group then released a series of videos in which Therúnk revealed that he and the DFLT conducted the attack. The group continued to recruit members and carried out several more attacks. Therúnk was paranoid of being caught, so he resorted to low risk attacks that only harmed a few people at a time. The group committed several stabbings and small bombings throughout western Terranihil.
In 2016, the DFLT carried out another attack on the University of Intemil. They placed an explosive device in the same lecture hall that was bombed in 2010. The bomb detonated on schedule and killed 22 students and injuring 17 others. Therúnk released another video claiming responsibility for the attack.
DII Offensive Against DFLT
The attack prompted the Department of Internal Intelligence (DII) to launch an offensive against the group. The DII and police arrested over 250 people allegedly involved with the DFLT, despite estimates that DFLT membership was under 100. The DII used the videos released by Therúnk to find the base of operations of the DFLT. On June 23, 2016, the DII raided the base and arrested nine terrorists, including Mógrais. However Therúnk was not at the base at the time and managed to evade arrest.
Therúnk has been one of the most wanted men in Terranihil for a decade. Some claimed he fled to Lyoa or Malgax. Despite his survival, the DII believed that it had successfully destroyed the DFLT. The group had seemingly disbanded after Mógrais and other members were arrested and then executed.
Reemergence
On February 20th, 2020, two men detonated a bomb in a courthouse in Intemil, killing three people. The terrorists were arrested, interrogated, and then executed. After more than three years of silence, Therúnk released a video claiming that the DFLT was responsible for the attack.
He stated that the DFLT had not disbanded and will carry out more attacks. The Department of External Intelligence (DEI) stated that Therúnk and other DFLT leaders are hiding in Lyoa. The DEI requested the immediate extradition of Therúnk and his cooperators. The Lyoan government responded, stating that there is no credible evidence that DFLT leadership is in Lyoa.
One day after the courthouse attack, the DFLT attempted yet another bombing. Two men were arrested for placing explosives in a hotel in Avergís. Therúnk released another video claiming responsibility and stating that they were targeting Muslims. One of the terrorists had traveled to Lyoa three weeks prior. The DII stated the explosives and a handgun carried by one of the suspects were from Lyoa.
The Terranilian government placed a travel ban on Lyoa, created a watchlist for every Terranilian that traveled to Lyoa in the past year, and expelled any Lyoan nationals. The Terranilian government once again requested the extradition of the DFLT leaders. The DEI accused the Special Security Service of Lyoa of providing explosives and weapons to the DFLT, as well as training terrorists. The Lyoan government denied these allegations and stated “the Terranilian government has established a new policy of hostility to Lyoa and its people, and thus we believe it is not in our benefit to continue assisting their efforts against perceived organizations operating in our country.”
Ideology
Most of the DFLT's ideology is known from Therúnk's videos, in which he often went on tirades about the faults of Terranihil. Therúnk's ideology also changed as time went on.
Democracy
Therúnk founded the DFLT for the purpose of promoting democracy. He beleives that Terranihil would be better off if the Progressive Revolution never happened and Terranihil remained democratic. He beleives that violence against the government and those complicit with the government's tyranny is necessary and justified if it leads to the reinstatement of democracy. He is highly critical of the National Party for Progress (NPP), the ruling party in Terranihil, for its authoritarianism and supression of basic human rights.
Anti-Islam
Therúnk was not hostile towards Muslims at the beginning of the DFLT. He actually criticized Terranihil's treatment of Muslims several times. However his partner and closest friend Mógrais was an Islamophobe and fundamentalist Christian; Mógrais was likely the root of Thernúk's movement toward Islamophobia. Therúnk claims that Muslims were the main cause of the growth of nationalism and Virátism. Supposedly Terranilians became more supportive of a radical party like the NPP in reaction to extremist Islam, so Therúnk believes Muslims do not have a place in Terranihil.