Operation Vigilant Guardian was a Belgian army operation following the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks and the dismantling of a terrorist cell in Verviers[1] having foiled attacks imminent, to deal with the terrorist threat and protect the "points" sensitive territory. The operation was put in place 16 January 2015 and ended on 1 April 2021.[2][3]
The operation, originally codenamed Homeland, was significantly strengthened during the 2015, after the attacks of 13 November, notably through the implementation of absolute emergency in the Brussels area from 21 to 26 November 2015 and after the attacks of 22 March 2016 in Brussels.[4]
After the 2023 Brussels attack, Belgium’s crisis center urged continued vigilance on 17 October and said there would be “increased and visible police presence.”[5]
The deployment of soldiers in the streets in Belgium was an unprecedented event since World War II and a number of violent events in the 1980s.[6]
- ^ "Deux ans après: l'image de la Défense améliorée par la présence des militaires en rue". Rtbf.be. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "Vigilant Guardian: l'armée belge contre le terrorisme". Itele.fr. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "Tijdlijn: het verhaal van Brussel in 2021". www.bruzz.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-12-20.
- ^ Lasoen, Kenneth (2018). "War of Nerves. The Domestic Terror Threat and the Belgian Army". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 42: 1–19. doi:10.1080/1057610X.2018.1431270.
- ^ Blenkinsop, Philip (2023-10-17). "Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels; Belgium raises terror alert to top level". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
- ^ "Les opérations de la Défense en 2015: un bilan rythmé par la menace terroriste". Rtbf.be. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
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