As Milicias (English: The Militias), also occasionally referred to as As Milicias de Legalistas (The Militias of Loyalists) were right-wing guerrilla organizations loosely associated with the Hugo Savala regime, typically comprised of civilians and peasant fighters in Brazil during the Brazilian War in opposition to the Brazilian Republican Army, which itself had many guerrilla elements. Unlike the ERB, however, the Milicias had no central structure and were co-ordinated largely regionally, and often chafed at the attempted controls by the National Army. The Milicias were critical in carrying out guerrilla raids and fights with American soldiers during the United States' capture of northern Brazil from 1979-1981 which racked up intensive casualties for Americans and forced their withdrawal