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Terrorist Organizations
Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)
aliases cited are consistent with and drawn from the Specially Designated
Nationals list maintained by the Department of Treasury. The full list can be
found at the following website: http://www.treasury.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/sdn/sdnlist.txt
Abu Nidal Organization (ANO)
Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade
Ansar al-Sunna (AS)
Armed Islamic Group (GIA)
Asbat al-Ansar
Aum Shinrikyo (Aum)
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
Communist Party of Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA)
Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA)
Gama'a al-Islamiyya (IG)
HAMAS
Harakat ul-Mujahedin (HUM)
Hizballah
Islamic Jihad Union (IJU)
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM)
Jemaah Islamiya Organization (JI)
Al-Jihad (AJ)
Kahane Chai (Kach)
Kongra-Gel (KGK/PKK)
Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LT)
Lashkar i Jhangvi (LJ)
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG)
Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM)
Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK)
National Liberation Army (ELN)
Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC)
Al-Qaida (AQ)
Al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI)
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) [Formerly Salafist Group for Call and
Combat (GSPC)]
Real IRA (RIRA)
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
Revolutionary Nuclei (RN)
Revolutionary Organization 17 November
Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C)
Shining Path (SL)
United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)
Abu Nidal Organization (ANO)
a.k.a. Arab Revolutionary Brigades; Arab Revolutionary Council; Black September;
Fatah Revolutionary Council; Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims
Description
The ANO international terrorist organization was founded by Sabri al-Banna
(a.k.a. Abu Nidal) after splitting from the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO) in 1974. The group's previous known structure consisted of various
functional committees, including political, military, and financial. In August
2002, Abu Nidal died in Baghdad; the new leadership of the organization remains
unclear.
Activities
The ANO has carried out terrorist attacks in 20 countries, killing or injuring
almost 900 persons; however, the group has not staged a major attack against
Western targets since the late 1980s. Major attacks included the Rome and Vienna
airports in 1985, the Neve Shalom synagogue in Istanbul, the hijacking of Pan Am
Flight 73 in Karachi in 1986, and the City of Poros day-excursion ship attack in
Greece in 1988. The ANO is suspected of assassinating PLO deputy chief Abu Iyad
and PLO security Chief Abu Hul in Tunis in 1991. The ANO was responsible for the
December 1985 simultaneous Rome and Vienna airport attacks in which 12 people
died, including five American citizens.
Strength
Current strength and operational status are unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Although former and possibly current ANO associates may be in Iraq and Lebanon,
the group is largely considered inactive.
External Aid
The ANO received considerable support, including safe haven, training,
logistical assistance, and funding from Iraq, Libya, and Syria (until 1987). The
ANO's current access to resources is unclear, but it is likely severely impacted
by the decline in state support.
Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)1
a.k.a. Al Harakat al Islamiyya
Description
The ASG is a violent Muslim terrorist group operating in the southern
Philippines. Some ASG leaders allegedly fought in Afghanistan during the Soviet
invasion and are students and proponents of radical Islamic teachings. The group
split from the much larger Moro National Liberation Front in the early 1990s
under the leadership of Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, who was killed in a clash
with Philippine police in December 1998. His younger brother, Khadaffy Janjalani,
replaced him as the nominal leader of the group. In September 2006, Janjalani
was killed in a gun battle with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Radullah
Sahiron is assumed to be the new ASG leader.
Activities
The ASG engages in kidnappings for ransom, bombings, beheadings, assassinations,
and extortion. The group's stated goal is to promote an independent Islamic
state in western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, areas in the southern
Philippines heavily populated by Muslims, but the ASG primarily has used terror
for financial profit. Recent bombings may herald a return to a more radical,
politicized agenda, at least among certain factions. In August 2006, the Armed
Forces of the Philippines began "Operation Ultimatum," a sustained
campaign that has disrupted ASG forces in safe havens on Jolo Island in the Sulu
archipelago, and resulted in the killing of ASG leader Khadafy Janjalani in
September 2006.
The group's first large-scale action was a raid on the town of Ipil in
Mindanao in April 1995. In April 2000, an ASG faction kidnapped 21 persons,
including ten Western tourists, from a resort in Malaysia. In May 2001, the ASG
kidnapped three U.S. citizens and 17 Filipinos from a tourist resort in Palawan,
Philippines. Several of the hostages, including U.S. citizen Guillermo Sobero,
were murdered. A Philippine military hostage rescue operation in June 2002 freed
U.S. hostage Gracia Burnham, but her husband Martin Burnham and Filipina Deborah
Yap were killed. U.S. and Philippine authorities blame the ASG for exploding a
bomb near a Philippine military base in Zamboanga in October 2002 that killed a
U.S. serviceman. In February 2004, Khadaffy Janjalani's faction bombed
SuperFerry 14 in Manila Bay, killing 132. In March 2004, Philippine authorities
arrested an ASG cell whose bombing targets included the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
The ASG also claimed responsibility for the 2005 Valentine's Day bombings in
Manila, Davao City, and General Santos City, which killed eight and injured more
than 150.
Strength
ASG is estimated to have 200 to 500 members.
Location/Area of Operation
The ASG was founded in Basilan Province and operates primarily in the provinces
of the Sulu Archipelago, namely Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. The group also
operates on the Zamboanga peninsula, and members occasionally travel to Manila.
In mid-2003, the group started operating in Mindanao's city of Cotobato and on
the provincial coast of Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao. The ASG was expelled from
Mindanao proper by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in mid-2005. The
group expanded its operational reach to Malaysia in 2000 with the abduction of
foreigners from a tourist resort there.
External Aid
The ASG is funded through acts of ransom and extortion, and receives funding
from both regional terrorist groups such as Jemaah Islamiya (JI), which is based
mainly in Indonesia, and Middle Eastern Islamic extremists.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (al-Aqsa)
a.k.a. al-Aqsa Martyrs Battalion; Fatah Tanzim
Description
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades consists of localized cells of Palestinian
militants loyal to the secular-nationalist Fatah movement. Al-Aqsa emerged at
the outset of the 2000 Palestinian al-Aqsa Intifadah, splitting from the Fatah
party to attack Israeli military targets and settlers with the aim of driving
Israel from the West Bank and Gaza Strip and establishing a Palestinian state.
Al-Aqsa has no central leadership; the cells operate with autonomy, although
they remained ideologically loyal to Palestinian Authority (PA) President and
Fatah party head Yassir Arafat until his death in 2004.
Activities
Al-Aqsa initially focused on small arms attacks against Israeli military
personnel and settlers in the West Bank. In 2002, the group began to conduct
suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. After a March 2002 bombing, the U.S.
State Department designated Al-Aqsa a foreign terrorist organization. Al-Aqsa
suspended most anti-Israel attacks as part of the broader unilateral Palestinian
ceasefire agreement during 2004 but resumed them following HAMAS's electoral
victory in January 2006. Al-Aqsa members have continued anti-Israeli as well as
intra-Palestinian violence and contribute to the overall chaotic security
environment inside the Palestinian territories. Al-Aqsa has not targeted U.S.
interests as a policy, although its anti-Israeli attacks have killed some dual
U.S.-Israel citizens.
Strength
Current strength is unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Al-Aqsa operates mainly in the West Bank but has conducted attacks inside
Israel and the Gaza Strip. The group has members in refugee camps in southern
Lebanon and overseas, although it has not demonstrated transnational capability.
External Aid
Iran has exploited Al-Aqsa's lack of leadership and funds by providing aid
and exerting influence over the organization.
Ansar al-Sunna (AS) 1
a.k.a. Ansar al-Islam; Ansar Al-Sunna Army; Devotees of Islam; Followers of
Islam in Kurdistan; Helpers of Islam; Jaish Ansar Al-Sunna; Jund Al-Islam;
Kurdish Taliban; Kurdistan Supporters of Islam; Partisans of Islam; Soldiers of
God; Soldiers of Islam; Supporters of Islam in Kurdistan
Description
Ansar al-Sunna (AS) is a Salafi terrorist group whose goals include expelling
the U.S.- led Coalition from Iraq and establishing an independent Islamic Iraqi
state. This amorphous group has changed its name several times over the years
and was last known as Ansar al-Islam. AS announced its creation in 2003 by
posting a statement to the Internet calling all extremists in Iraq to unite
under the new name. The bid to become a jihadist umbrella organization failed,
but the name AS stuck. AS has ties to the al-Qaida central leadership and al-Qaida
in Iraq (AQI); it has a competitive relationship with AQI, and did not join the
AQI-dominated "Islamic State of Iraq." Some members of AS trained in
al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan, and the group provided safe haven to al-Qaida
fighters before Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Since OIF, AS has become the
second-most prominent group engaged in anti-Coalition attacks in Iraq behind AQI
and has maintained a strong propaganda campaign.
Activities
AS continues to conduct attacks against a wide range of targets including
Coalition Forces, the Iraqi government and security forces, and Kurdish and Shia
figures. AS has claimed responsibility for many high profile attacks, including
the simultaneous suicide bombings of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and
Kurdistan Democratic Party offices in Irbil in February 2004, the bombing of the
U.S. military dining facility in Mosul in December 2004, and numerous
kidnappings, executions, and assassinations.
Strength
Precise numbers are unknown, but AS is the second largest Sunni jihadist group
in Iraq, behind AQI.
Location/Area of Operation
Primarily central, western, and northern Iraq.
External Aid
AS receives assistance from a loose network of associates in Europe and the
Middle East.
Armed Islamic Group (GIA)
a.k.a. Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah al-Musallah; Groupement Islamique Arme
Description
An Islamic extremist group, the GIA aims to overthrow the Algerian regime and
replace it with a fundamentalist Islamic state. The GIA began its violent
activity in 1992 after the military government suspended legislative elections
in anticipation of an overwhelming victory by the Islamic Salvation Front, the
largest Islamic opposition party.
Activities
The GIA has engaged in attacks against civilians and government workers. The GIA
began conducting a terrorist campaign of civilian massacres in 1992, sometimes
wiping out entire villages and killing tens of thousands of Algerians, thus
alienating itself from the Algerian populace in the process. Since announcing
its campaign against foreigners living in Algeria in 1992, the GIA killed more
than 100 expatriate men and women, mostly Europeans, in the country. Many of the
GIA's members have joined other Islamist groups or have been killed or captured
by the Algerian government. The government's September 2005 reconciliation
program led to an increase in the number of GIA terrorist suspects who
surrendered to security forces. The GIA's most recent significant attacks
occurred in August 2001.
Strength
Precise numbers are unknown, but probably fewer than 100.
Location/Area of Operation
Algeria, the Sahel, and Europe.
External Aid
The GIA has members in Europe that provide funding but mostly the group engages
in criminal activity to finance activities and raise funds.
Asbat al-Ansar
a.k.a. League of the Followers; Partisans' League
Description
Asbat al-Ansar, the League of the Followers or Partisans' League, is a
Lebanon-based Sunni extremist group composed primarily of Palestinians with
links to Usama bin Ladin's al-Qaida organization and other Sunni extremist
groups. Asbat is well positioned to play an important role should al-Qaidaattempt
to expand further its terrorist operations to Lebanon. The group follows an
extremist interpretation of Islam that justifies violence against civilian
targets to achieve political ends. Some of the group's goals include
overthrowing the Lebanese government and thwarting perceived anti-Islamic and
pro-Western influences in the country.
Activities
Asbat al-Ansar maintains close ties with the al-Qaida network, and had a
"front-line" command post relatively close to Israel's border in the
Ain al-Hilwah (Palestinian) refugee camp. In early to mid-March, Lebanese
authorities arrested several members of the group. Some were Palestinians, some
were Lebanese. Members of this group were believed by some to have been
responsible for a Katyusha rocket attack on the Galilee (Israel) in December
2005. On April 3, 2006, a video was posted to an Islamic website claiming that
five members of Asbat al-Ansar were killed fighting in Iraq; the date of death
was not provided. Asbat al-Ansar members have been involved in fighting
Coalition Forces in Iraq since at least 2005 and several members of the group
have been killed in anti-Coalition operations.
Since it first emerged in the early 1990s, Asbat
al-Ansar has carried out
multiple terrorist attacks in Lebanon; in the mid-1990s the group assassinated
Lebanese religious leaders and bombed nightclubs, theaters, and liquor stores.
It was involved in clashes in northern Lebanon in December 1999, and carried out
a rocket-propelled grenade attack on the Russian Embassy in Beirut in January
2000. Asbat al-Ansar's leader, Ahmad Abd al-Karim al-Sa'di a.k.a. Abu Muhjin,
remains at large despite being sentenced to death in absentia for the 1994
murder of a Muslim cleric. In September 2004, operatives with links to the group
were believed to be involved in a planned terrorist operation targeting the
Italian Embassy, the Ukrainian Consulate General, and Lebanese government
offices. In October 2004, Mahir al-Sa'di, a member of Asbat al-Ansar, was
sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for plotting to assassinate then U.S.
Ambassador to Lebanon David Satterfield in 2000. Al-Sa'di was working in
cooperation with Abu Muhammad al-Masri, the head of al-Qaida at the 'Ayn al-Hilwah
refugee camp, where fighting has occurred between Asbat al-Ansar and Fatah
elements.
Strength
The group commands about 300 fighters in Lebanon.
Location/Area of Operation
The group's primary base of operations is the ‘Ayn al-Hilwah Palestinian
refugee camp near Sidon in southern Lebanon.
External Aid
Probably receives money through international Sunni extremist networks.
Aum Shinrikyo (Aum)
a.k.a. A.I.C. Comprehensive Research Institute; A.I.C. Sogo Kenkyusho; Aleph;
Aum Supreme Truth
Description
Shoko Asahara established Aum in 1987, and the cult received legal status as a
religious entity in 1989. At first, Aum aimed to take over Japan and then the
world, but over time it began to emphasize the imminence of the end of the
world. Asahara predicted 1996, and 1999 to 2003, as likely dates and said that
the United States would initiate Armageddon by starting World War III with
Japan. The Japanese government revoked its recognition of Aum as a religious
organization following Aum's deadly sarin gas attack in Tokyo in March 1995. In
1997, however, a government panel decided not to invoke the Operations Control
Law against the group that would have outlawed it. A 1999 law authorized the
Japanese government to maintain police surveillance over the group because of
concerns that Aum might launch future terrorist attacks. Under the leadership of
Fumihiro Joyu, the chief of Aum's once thriving Moscow operation, Aum changed
its name to Aleph in January 2000 and tried to distance itself from the violent
and apocalyptic teachings of its founder. In late 2003, however, Joyu stepped
down under pressure from members who wanted to return fully to the worship of
Asahara. A growing divide between members supporting Joyu and those who remain
loyal to Asahara is splitting the cult into factions. In 2006, Joyu officially
split from Aleph over recognizing Shoko Asahara as the sole authority.
Activities
In March 1995, Aum members simultaneously released the chemical nerve agent
sarin on several Tokyo subway trains, killing 12 persons and causing up to 6,000
to seek medical treatment. Subsequent investigations by the Japanese government
revealed the group was responsible for other mysterious chemical incidents in
Japan in 1994, including a sarin gas attack on a residential neighborhood in
Matsumoto that killed seven and hospitalized approximately 500. The group's
attempts to conduct attacks using biological agents were unsuccessful. Japanese
police arrested Asahara in May 1995, and in February 2004 authorities sentenced
him in to death for his role in the 1995 attacks. In September 2006, Asahara
lost his final appeal against the death penalty.
Since 1997, the cult has recruited new members, engaged in commercial
enterprises, and acquired property, although it scaled back these activities
significantly in 2001 in response to a public outcry. In July 2001, Russian
authorities arrested a group of Russian Aum followers who had planned to set off
bombs near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo as part of an operation to free Asahara
from jail and smuggle him to Russia.
Strength
Aum's current membership in Japan is estimated to be about 1,650 persons. At the
time of the Tokyo subway attack, the group claimed to have as many as 40,000
members worldwide, including 9,000 in Japan and 30,000 members in Russia.
Location/Area of Operation
Aum's principal membership is located in Japan, while a residual branch
comprising about 300 followers lives in Russia.
External Aid
None.
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
a.k.a. Askatasuna; Batasuna; Ekin; Epanastatiki Pirines; Euskal Herritarrok;
Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna; Herri Batasuna; Jarrai-Haika-Segi; K.A.S.; Popular
Revolutionary Struggle; XAKI
Description
ETA was founded in 1959 with the aim of establishing an independent homeland
based on Marxist principles encompassing the Spanish Basque provinces of Vizcaya,
Guipuzcoa, and Alava, as well as the autonomous region of Navarra and the
southwestern French territories of Labourd, Basse-Navarre, and Soule. Spain and
the European Union both have listed ETA as a terrorist organization, and in 2002
the Spanish parliament banned the political party Batasuna, ETA's political
wing, charging its members with providing material support to the terrorist
group. In 2004, Spain and France formed a joint counterterrorism and judicial
unit to combat ETA and Islamic terrorist groups. During 2005 and 2006, police in
both countries together arrested around 100 individuals associated with ETA,
dismantled several of the group's cells, and dealt a significant blow to its
operational capability. Spanish and French prisons are estimated to hold a total
of more than 500 ETA members. In March 2006, ETA announced that it would
implement a "permanent" cease-fire. On December 30, ETA exploded a
massive car-bomb that destroyed much of the covered parking garage outside the
new Terminal 4 of Madrid's Barajas International Airport and effectively broke
its nine-month "permanent cease-fire." Two individuals killed in the
blast became ETA's first fatalities in more than three years. The Government of
Spain suspended talks with ETA, and government officials subsequently said
political negotiations with the group had ended.
Activities
ETA primarily conducts bombings and assassinations; targets are typically
Spanish government officials, security and military forces, politicians, and
judicial figures, but the group also has targeted journalists and tourist areas.
The group is responsible for killing more than 800 and injuring thousands more
since it began its lethal attacks in the late 1960s. Security service scrutiny
and a public outcry after the Islamic extremist train bombings in Madrid in
March 2004, have limited ETA's capability and willingness to inflict casualties.
ETA conducted no fatal attacks in 2005, but did mount more than 30 low-level
bombings, most preceded by a warning call, that caused minor injuries and
property damage. In February 2005, ETA detonated a car bomb in Madrid at a
convention center where Spanish King Juan Carlos and then Mexican President
Vicente Fox were scheduled to appear, wounding more than 20 people. In June
2005, ETA launched grenades at the airport that serves the city of Zaragoza,
shutting down the airport but causing no damage or injuries. ETA also detonated
an explosive device at a stadium constructed as part of Madrid's bid to host the
2012 Olympic Games; there were no injuries in that attack. Just days before its
March 2006 cease-fire announcement, ETA claimed responsibility for a spate of
roadside blasts in northern Spain that caused no injuries.
Its late 2006 attack at Madrid's airport is the group's first fatal attack since
March 2003. ETA finances its activities primarily through bribery and extortion.
Strength
Not precisely known, but believed to number in the low hundreds.
Location/Area of Operation
Operates primarily in the Basque autonomous regions of northern Spain and
southwestern France, but also has attacked Spanish and French interests
elsewhere.
External Aid
Has received training at various times in the past in Libya, Lebanon, and
Nicaragua. Some ETA members allegedly fled to Cuba and Mexico, while others
reside in South America. ETA members have operated and been arrested in other
European countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.
Communist Party of Philippines/New People's Army
(CPP/NPA)
a.k.a. Communist Party of the Philippines; CPP; New People's Army; NPA
Description
The military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the NPA is a
Maoist group formed in March 1969 with the aim of overthrowing the government
through protracted guerrilla warfare. Jose Maria Sison, the chairman of the
CPP's Central Committee and the NPA's founder, reportedly directs CPP and NPA
activity from the Netherlands, where he lives in self-imposed exile. Luis
Jalandoni, a fellow Central Committee member and director of the CPP's overt
political wing, the National Democratic Front (NDF), also lives in the
Netherlands and has become a Dutch citizen. Although primarily a rural-based
guerrilla group, the NPA has an active urban infrastructure to support its
terrorist activities and at times uses city-based assassination squads.
Activities
The NPA primarily targets Philippine security forces, government officials,
local infrastructure, and businesses that refuse to pay extortion, or
"revolutionary taxes." The NPA extorts politicians running for office
in NPA-influenced areas, charging them for "campaign permits." The
group opposes any U.S. military presence in the Philippines and in the past has
attacked U.S. military interests; it killed several U.S. service personnel
before the U.S. base closures in 1992. The NPA claimed responsibility for the
assassination of two congressmen, from Quezon in May 2001 and Cagayan in June
2001, among other killings. Periodic peace talks with the Philippine government
stalled after these incidents. In December 2005, the NPA publicly expressed its
intent to target U.S. personnel if they were discovered in NPA operating areas.
Strength
Estimated at less than 9,000, a number significantly lower than its peak strength of approximately 25,000 in the
1980s.
Location/Area of Operations
Operates in rural Luzon, Visayas, and parts of northern and eastern Mindanao.
Has cells in Manila and other metropolitan centers.
External Aid
Unknown.
Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA)
a.k.a. Continuity Army Council; Continuity IRA; Republican Sinn Fein
Description
CIRA is a terrorist splinter group formed in 1994 as the clandestine armed wing
of Republican Sinn Fein, which split from Sinn Fein in 1986.
"Continuity" refers to the group's belief that it is carrying on the
original Irish Republican Army's (IRA) goal of forcing the British out of
Northern Ireland. CIRA's aliases, Continuity Army Council and Republican Sinn
Fein, are included in its FTO designation. CIRA cooperates with the larger Real
IRA (RIRA).
Activities
CIRA has been active in Belfast and the border areas of Northern Ireland, where
it has carried out bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, extortion,
and robberies. On occasion, it has provided advance warning to police of its
attacks. Targets have included the British military, Northern Ireland security
forces, and Loyalist paramilitary groups. CIRA did not join the Provisional IRA
in the September 2005 decommissioning and remains capable of effective, if
sporadic, terrorist attacks. In late 2006 CIRA members issued a list of up to 20
individuals they were targeting for paramilitary attacks, several of whom were
wounded in subsequent shootings.
Strength
Membership is small, with possibly fewer than 50 hard-core activists. Police
counterterrorist operations have reduced the group's strength, but CIRA
continues to recruit, train, and plan operations.
Location/Area of Operation
Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Does not have an established presence
in Great Britain.
External Aid
Suspected of receiving funds and arms from sympathizers in the United States.
May have acquired arms and materiel from the Balkans in cooperation with the
Real IRA.
Gama'a al-Islamiyya (IG)
a.k.a. Al-Gama'at; Egyptian al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya; Islamic Gama'at (IG);
Islamic Group
Description
The IG, Egypt's largest militant group, has been active since the late 1970s and
is a loosely organized network, whose primary goal is to overthrow the Egyptian
government and replace it with an Islamic state. It has an external wing with
supporters in several countries. The group's issuance of a cease-fire in 1997
led to a split into two factions: one, led by Mustafa Hamza, supported the
cease-fire; the other, led by Rifa'i Taha Musa, called for a return to armed
operations. The IG issued another ceasefire in March 1999, but its spiritual
leader, Shaykh Umar Abd al-Rahman, sentenced to life in prison in January 1996
for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and incarcerated in
the United States, rescinded his support for the cease-fire in June 2000. IG has
not conducted an attack inside Egypt since the 1997 Luxor attack, which killed
58 tourists, four Egyptians, and wounded dozens more. In February 1998, a senior
member signed Usama bin Ladin's fatwa calling for attacks against the United
States.
In early 2001, Taha Musa published a book in which he attempted to justify
terrorist attacks that would cause mass casualties. Taha Musa disappeared
several months thereafter, and there is no information as to his current
whereabouts. In March 2002, members of the group's historic leadership in Egypt
declared use of violence misguided and renounced its future use, prompting
denunciations by much of the leadership abroad. The Egyptian government
continues to release IG members from prison; approximately 900 were released in
2003, and most of the 700 persons released in 2004 at the end of the Muslim holy
month of Ramadan were IG members. Ayman al-Zawahiri announced in August 2006
that IG had merged with al-Qaida, but the group quickly denied this claim.
Activities
IG conducted armed attacks against Egyptian security and other government
officials, Coptic Christians, and Egyptian opponents of Islamic extremism before
the 1997 cease-fire; after the cease-fire, the faction led by Taha Musa launched
attacks on tourists in Egypt, most notably the 1997 Luxor attack. IG claimed
responsibility for the June 1995 assassination attempt on Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Strength
Unknown. At its peak IG probably commanded several thousand hard-core members
and a like number of sympathizers. The 1999 cease-fire, security crackdowns
following the 1997 attack in Luxor, and post-September 11 security efforts, have
probably resulted in a substantial decrease in the group's numbers.
Location/Area of Operation
IG Operates mainly in the Al-Minya, Asyut, Qina, and Sohaj Governorates of
southern Egypt. It also appears to have support in Cairo, Alexandria, and other
urban locations, particularly among unemployed graduates and students. The IG
has an external presence, including in the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Yemen,
and in various locations in Europe.
External Aid
Unknown. Usama Bin Ladin and Afghan militant groups support the organization. IG
also may obtain some funding through various Islamic non-governmental
organizations.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS)
a.k.a. Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya; Izz al-Din al Qassam Battalions; Izz
al-Din al Qassam Brigades; Students of Ayyash; Students of the Engineer; Yahya
Ayyash Units
Description
HAMAS, which includes military and political wings, was formed at the onset of
the first Palestinian uprising or Intifadah in late 1987, as an outgrowth of the
Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. The armed element, called the Izz
al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, conducts anti-Israeli attacks, including suicide
bombings against civilian targets inside Israel. Social-political elements
engage in "Dawa" or ministry activities, which include running
charities and schools, fund-raising and political activities. A Shura council
based in Damascus, Syria, sets overall policy. Since winning Palestinian
Authority (PA) elections in 2006, HAMAS has taken control of significant PA
ministries, including the Ministry of Interior. HAMAS formed an expanded, overt
militia called the Executive Force, subordinate to the Ministry.
Activities
Prior to 2005, HAMAS conducted numerous anti-Israeli attacks including suicide
bombings, rocket attacks, IED attacks, and shootings. The group curtailed
terrorist attacks in February 2005 after agreeing to a temporary period of calm
brokered by the PA, and ceased most violence after winning control of the PA
legislature and cabinet in 2006. After HAMAS staged a June 25 attack on IDF
soldiers near Kerem Shalom that resulted in two deaths and the abduction of
Corporal Gilad Shalit, Israel took steps that severely limited the operation of
the Rafah crossing. HAMAS maintained and expanded its military capabilities
during this time. HAMAS has not directly targeted U.S. interests, although the
group makes little or no effort to avoid targets frequented by foreigners.
Strength
HAMAS probably has several hundred members in its armed wing, the al-Qassam
Brigades, along with its reported 6,000-man Executive Force and tens of
thousands of supporters and sympathizers.
Location/Area of Operation
HAMAS has an operational presence in every major city within the Palestinian
territories and has focused its anti-Israeli attacks on targets in those
territories and Israel. The group retains a cadre of leaders and facilitators
that conduct diplomatic, fundraising, and arms smuggling activities in Lebanon,
Syria, and other states.
External Aid
Receives some funding, weapons and training from Iran. Also receives
donations from Palestinian expatriates around the world and private benefactors
in Arab states. Some fundraising and propaganda activity takes place in Western
Europe and North America.
Harakat ul-Mujahedin (HUM)
a.k.a. Al-Faran; Al-Hadid; Al-Hadith; Harakat ul-Ansar; Harakat ul-Mujahideen;
HUA; Jamiat ul-Ansar (JUA)
Description
HUM, an Islamic militant group based in Pakistan, is politically aligned with
the radical political party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam's Fazlur Rehman faction (JUI-F),
and operates primarily in Kashmir. Reportedly under pressure from the Government
of Pakistan, HUM's long time leader Fazlur Rehman Khalil stepped down and, in
January 2005, was replaced by Dr. Badr Munir as the head of HUM. Khalil has been
linked to Usama bin Ladin, and his signature was found on Bin Ladin's fatwa in
February 1998 calling for attacks on U.S. and Western interests. HUM operated
terrorist training camps in eastern Afghanistan until Coalition air strikes
destroyed them in autumn 2001. Khalil was detained by Pakistani authorities in
mid-2004 and subsequently released in late December.In 2003, HUM began using the
name Jamiat ul-Ansar (JUA). Pakistan banned JUA in November 2003.
Activities
HUM has conducted a number of operations against Indian troops and civilian
targets in Kashmir. It is linked to the Kashmiri militant group al-Faran that
kidnapped five Western tourists in Kashmir in July 1995; one was killed in
August, and the other four reportedly were killed in December of the same year.
HUM was responsible for the hijacking of an Indian airliner in December 1999
that resulted in the release of Masood Azhar, an important leader in the former
Harakat ul-Ansar who was imprisoned by India in 1994 and founded Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JEM) after his release. Ahmed Omar Sheik also was released in 1999, and was
later convicted of the abduction and murder in 2002 of U.S. journalist Daniel
Pearl.
Strength
HUM has several hundred armed supporters located in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, and
India's southern Kashmir and Doda regions and in the Kashmir valley. Supporters
are mostly Pakistanis and Kashmiris, but also include Afghans and Arab veterans
of the Afghan war. HUM uses light and heavy machine guns, assault rifles,
mortars, explosives, and rockets. In 2000, HUM lost a significant share of its
membership in defections to the JEM.
Location/Area of Operation
Based in Muzaffarabad, Rawalpindi, and several other towns in Pakistan, HUM
conducts insurgent and terrorist operations primarily in Kashmir, but members
have also been found operating in Afghanistan. HUM trains its militants in
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
External Aid
Collects donations from wealthy and grassroots donors in Pakistan, Kashmir,
Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf and Islamic states. HUM's financial collection
methods also include soliciting donations in magazine ads and pamphlets. The
sources and amount of HUM's military funding are unknown. Its overt fundraising
in Pakistan has been constrained since the government clampdown there on
extremist groups and the freezing of terrorist assets.
Hizballah
(Common alternate spellings: Hezbollah, Hizbullah, Hizb`allah)
a.k.a. Party of God; Islamic Jihad
Description
Formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, this
Lebanese-based radical Shia group takes its ideological inspiration from the
Iranian revolution and the teachings of the late Ayatollah Khomeini. The group
follows the religious guidance of Khomeini's successor, Iranian Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei. Hizballah is closely allied with Iran and often acts at its
behest, but it also can and does act independently. Although Hizballah does not
share the Syrian regime's secular orientation, the group has been a strong ally
in helping Syria advance its political objectives in the region. The Majlis al-Shura,
or Consultative Council, is the group's highest governing body and has been led
by Secretary General Hasan Nasrallah since 1992.
Hizballah remains the most technically capable terrorist group in the world.
It has strong influence in Lebanon's Shia community, which comprises about
one-third of Lebanon's population. The Lebanese government still recognizes
Hizballah as a legitimate "resistance group" and political party.
Hizballah maintains offices in Beirut and elsewhere in the country, has official
liaison officers to the security services, claims 14 elected officials in the
128-seat Lebanese National Assembly and was represented in the Cabinet for the
first time, by the Minister of Water and Electricity Mohammed Fneish, until his
resignation, along with other Shia ministers on November 11, 2006. Hizballah has
largely withdrawn its military presence from southern Lebanon in accordance with
UNSCR 1701, although likely maintains weapons caches in southern Lebanon and
justifies its continued arms status by claiming to act in defense of Lebanon
against acts of Israeli aggression, such as regular Israeli overflights of
Lebanese airspace. Hizballah alleges that Israel has not withdrawn completely
from Lebanese territory because, in Hizballah's view, the Shebaa Farms and other
areas belong to Lebanon. Hizballah supports a variety of violent anti-Western
groups, including Palestinian terrorist organizations. This support includes the
covert provision of weapons, explosives, training, funding, and guidance, as
well as overt political support.
Activities
In 2006, Hizballah launched a number of attacks on Israel, including the May 28
and July 12 attack, which resulted in the capture and kidnapping of two Israeli
soldiers. (See Chapter 2, Country Reports.) Hizballah continued to call
for the destruction of Israel and provided support to select Palestinian groups
to augment their capacity to conduct attacks against Israel. Since at least
2004, Hizballah has provided training and logistics to select Iraqi Shia
militants, including for the construction and use of shaped charge IEDs, which
Hizballah developed against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon during the late
1990s and which can penetrate heavily armored vehicles. Hizballah is known to
have been involved in numerous anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli terrorist attacks, and
prior to September 11, 2001, was responsible for more American deaths than any
other terrorist group; its terrorist attacks have included the suicide truck
bombings of the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 and the
U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut in 1984. Four members of Hizballah, Imad Mughniyah,
Hasan Izz-al-Din, Mohammed Hamadei, and Ali Atwa, are on the FBI's list of most
wanted terrorists for the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847, during which a U.S.
Navy diver was murdered. Elements of the group were responsible for the
kidnapping, detention, and murder of Americans and other Westerners in Lebanon
in the 1980s. Hizballah also has been implicated in the attacks on the Israeli
Embassy in Argentina in 1992 and the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA)
in Buenos Aires in 1994.* The U.S.
Government has indicted a member of Lebanese Hizballah for his participation in
the June 1996 truck bomb attack of the U.S. Air Force dormitory at Khobar Towers
in Saudi Arabia. In 2000, Hizballah operatives captured three Israeli soldiers
in the Sheba'a Farms area and kidnapped an Israeli non-combatant.
Strength
Thousands of supporters, several thousand members, and a few hundred terrorist
operatives.
Location/Area of Operation
Operates in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Beka'a Valley, and southern
Lebanon. Has established cells in Europe, Africa, South America, North America,
and Asia.
External Aid
Receives training, weapons, and explosives, as well as political, diplomatic,
and organizational aid, from Iran, and diplomatic, political, and logistical
support from Syria. Hizballah also receives funding from religious donations,
and profits from legal and illegal businesses.
Islamic Jihad Union (IJU)
a.k.a. Al-Djihad al-Islami; Dzhamaat Modzhakhedov; Islamic Jihad Group of
Uzbekistan;
Jama'at al-Jihad; Jamiat al-Jihad al-Islami; Jamiyat; The Jamaat Mujahedin; The
Kazakh Jama'at; The Libyan Society
Description
The IJU is an extremist organization which splintered from the Islamic Movement
of Uzbekistan. They oppose secular rule in Uzbekistan and seek to replace it
with a government based on Islamic law.
Activities
The IJU issued a statement in May 2004 fully supporting the armed attacks on
Uzbek police and military personnel in Andijon, Uzbekistan, and called for the
overthrow of the Uzbekistani regime. The group first conducted attacks in
March-April 2004 targeting a popular bazaar and police at several roadway
checkpoints. These attacks killed approximately 47 people, including 33
terrorists, some of whom were suicide bombers. The IJU's claim of
responsibility, which was posted to multiple militant Islamic websites,
denounced the leadership of Uzbekistan. These attacks marked the first use of
suicide bombers in Central Asia. In July 2004, the group struck again with
near-simultaneous suicide bombings of the U.S. and Israeli Embassies and the
Uzbekistani Prosecutor General's office in Tashkent. The IJU again claimed
responsibility via an Islamic website and stated that martyrdom operations by
the group would continue. The statement also indicated that the attacks were
done in support of IJU's Palestinian, Iraqi, and Afghan brothers in the global
insurgency. The date of the July attack corresponded with the trial of
individuals arrested for their alleged participation in the March-April attacks.
Strength
Unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Militants are scattered throughout Central Asia and probably parts of South
Asia.
External Aid
Unknown.
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) 1
Description
The IMU is a group of Islamic militants from Uzbekistan and other Central
Asian states. The IMU's goal is to overthrow Uzbekistani President Islam Karimov
and establishing an Islamic state in Uzbekistan. The IMU is affiliated with al-Qaida
and, under the leadership of Tohir Yoldashev, has embraced Usama bin Ladin's
ideology.
Activities
Since Operation Enduring Freedom, the IMU has been predominantly occupied with
attacks on U.S. and Coalition soldiers in Afghanistan. Although it is difficult
to differentiate between IMU and Islamic Jihad Union members, Pakistani security
forces continue to arrest probable IMU operatives in the Federally Administered
Tribal Areas (FATA).
The IMU was active in terrorist operations in Central Asia. Tajikistan
arrested several IMU members in 2005. In November 2004, the IMU was blamed for
an explosion in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh that killed one police officer
and one terrorist. In May 2003, Kyrgyz security forces disrupted an IMU cell
that was seeking to bomb the U.S. Embassy and a nearby hotel in Bishkek,
Kyrgyzstan. The IMU was also responsible for explosions in Bishkek in December
2002 and Osh in May 2003 that killed eight people. The IMU primarily targeted
Uzbekistani interests before October 2001, and is believed to have been
responsible for several explosions in Tashkent in February 1999. IMU militants
took foreigners hostage in Kyrgyzstan for two consecutive years: in August 1999,
IMU militants took four Japanese geologists and eight Kyrgyz soldiers hostage,
and in August 2000, they took four U.S. mountain climbers hostage.
Strength
Approximately 500 members.
Location/Area of Operation
IMU militants are scattered throughout South Asia, Central Asia, and Iran. Their
area of operation includes Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan,
Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
External Aid
The IMU receives support from a large Uzbek diaspora, Islamic extremist groups
and patrons in the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia.
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) 1
a.k.a. Army of Mohammed; Jaish-i-Mohammed; Khudamul Islam; Khuddam-ul-Islam;
Kuddam e Islami; Mohammed's Army; Tehrik ul-Furqaan
Description
Jaish-e-Mohammed is an Islamic extremist group based in Pakistan founded by
Masood Azhar, a former senior leader of Harakat ul-Ansar, upon his release from
prison in India in early 2000. The group's aim is to unite Kashmir with
Pakistan, and it has openly declared war against the United States. It is
politically aligned with the radical political party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam's
Fazlur Rehman faction (JUI-F). Pakistan outlawed JEM in 2002. By 2003, JEM had
splintered into Khuddam ul-Islam (KUI),headed by Azhar, and Jamaat ul-Furqan (JUF),
led by Abdul Jabbar, who was released from Pakistani custody in August 2004
after being detained for suspected involvement in the December 2003
assassination attempts against President Pervez Musharraf. Pakistan banned KUI
and JUF in November 2003.
Activities
Jaish-e-Mohammed continues to operate openly in parts of Pakistan despite
President Musharraf's 2002 ban on its activities. The group is well-funded, and
is said to have tens of thousands of followers who support attacks against
Indian targets, the Pakistani government, and sectarian minorities. Since Masood
Azhar's 2000 release from Indian custody in exchange for 155 hijacked Indian
Airlines hostages, JEM has conducted many fatal terrorist attacks in the area.
JEM continues to claim responsibility for several suicide car bombings in
Kashmir, including a suicide attack on the Jammu and Kashmir legislative
assembly building in Srinagar in October 2001 that killed more than 30. The
Indian government has publicly implicated the JEM, along with Lashkar e-Tayyiba,
for the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament that killed nine and
injured 18. Pakistani authorities suspect that JEM members may have been
involved in the 2002 anti-Christian attacks in Islamabad, Murree, and Taxila
that killed two Americans. In December 2003, Pakistan implicated elements of JEM
in the two assassination attempts against President Musharraf. In July 2004,
Pakistani authorities arrested a JEM member wanted in connection with the 2002
abduction and murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl. In 2006, JEM claimed
responsibility for a number of attacks, including the killing of several Indian
police officials in the Indian-administered Kashmir capital of Srinagar.
Strength
JEM has at least several hundred armed supporters, including a large cadre of
former HUM members, located in Pakistan, in India's southern Kashmir and Doda
regions, and in the Kashmir Valley. Supporters are mostly Pakistanis and
Kashmiris, but also include Afghans and Arab veterans of the Afghan war. The
group uses light and heavy machine guns, assault rifles, mortars, improvised
explosive devices, and rocket-propelled grenades.
Location/Area of Operation
Pakistan and Kashmir. Until autumn 2001, JEM maintained training camps in
Afghanistan.
External Aid
Most of JEM's cadre and material resources have been drawn from the Pakistani
militant groups Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HUJI) and the Harakat ul-Mujahedin
(HUM). In anticipation of asset seizures by the Pakistani government, JEM
withdrew funds from bank accounts and invested in legal businesses, such as
commodity trading, real estate, and production of consumer goods. In addition,
JEM collects funds through donation requests in magazines and pamphlets, and al-Qaida
is suspected of providing funding.
Jemaah Islamiya (JI) 1
Description
The Southeast Asia-based Jemaah Islamiya (JI) is a terrorist group that seeks
the establishment of an Islamic caliphate spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, southern
Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, and the southern Philippines. More than 300 JI
operatives, including operations chief Hambali, have been captured since 2002.
Several are no longer incarcerated, however, including JI emir Abu Bakar Bashir
who was released from prison in 2006 after serving a 25-month sentence for his
involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings. The death of top JI bombmaker Azahari bin
Husin in November 2005, and further arrests of several close associates of
senior JI operative Noordin Mat Top in 2006 likely disrupted JI's anti-Western
attacks that occurred annually from 2002-2005.
Activities
The group's most recent high-profile attack occurred in Bali on October 1, 2005
and left 26 persons dead. Other major JI attacks include the September 2004
bombing outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, the August 2003 bombing of
the J. W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, and the October 2002 Bali bombing. The 2002
Bali attack, which killed more than 200, remains one of the deadliest terrorist
attacks since 9/11. In December 2001, Singaporean authorities uncovered a JI
plot to attack the U.S. and Israeli Embassies and British and Australian
diplomatic buildings in Singapore. JI is also responsible for the coordinated
bombings of numerous Christian churches in Indonesia in December 2000 and was
involved in the bombings of several targets in Manila the same month.
Strength
Exact numbers currently are unknown. Estimates of total JI members vary from the
hundreds to one thousand.
Location/Area of Operation
JI is based in Indonesia and believed to have cells in Indonesia, Malaysia, and
the Philippines.
External Aid
Investigations indicate that JI is fully capable of its own fundraising,
although it also receives financial, ideological, and logistical support from
Middle Eastern contacts, and non-governmental organizations.
Al-Jihad (AJ)
Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ); Egyptian al-Jihad; New Jihad; The Jihad Group
Description
This Egyptian Islamic extremist group merged with Usama Bin Ladin's al-Qaida
organization in 2001. Usama Bin Ladin's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was the
former head of AJ. Active since the 1970s, AJ's primary goal has been the
overthrow of the Egyptian government and the establishment of an Islamic state.
The group's targets, historically, have been high-level Egyptian government
officials as well as U.S. and Israeli interests in Egypt and abroad. Regular
Egyptian crackdowns on extremists have greatly reduced AJ capabilities in Egypt.
Activities
The original AJ was responsible for the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President
Anwar Sadat. It claimed responsibility for the attempted assassinations in 1993
of Interior Minister Hassan al-Alfi and Prime Minister Atef Sedky. AJ has not
conducted an attack inside Egypt since 1993 and has never successfully targeted
foreign tourists there. The group was responsible for the Egyptian Embassy
bombing in Islamabad in 1995 and a disrupted plot against the U.S. Embassy in
Albania in 1998.
Strength
Believed to have several hundred hard-core members inside and outside of Egypt.
Location/Area of Operation
Most AJ members today are outside Egypt in countries such as Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, and Yemen. AJ activities have been
centered outside Egypt for several years under the auspices of al-Qaida.
External Aid
Since 1998 AJ has received most of its funding from al-Qaida; these close ties
culminated in the eventual merger of the groups in June 2001. Some funding may
come from various Islamic non-governmental organizations, cover businesses, and
criminal acts.
Kahane Chai (Kach)
a.k.a. American Friends of the United Yeshiva; American Friends of Yeshivat Rav
Meir;
Committee for the Safety of the Roads; Dikuy Bogdim; DOV; Forefront of the Idea;
Friends of the Jewish Idea Yeshiva; Jewish Idea Yeshiva; Jewish Legion; Judea
Police;
Judean Congress; Kach; Kahane; Kahane
Lives; Kahane Tzadak; Kahane.org;
Kahanetzadak.com; Kfar Tapuah Fund; Koach; Meir's Youth; New Kach
Movement;
Newkach.org; No'ar Meir; Repression of Traitors; State of Judea; Sword of David;
The Committee Against Racism and Discrimination (CARD); The Hatikva Jewish
Identity Center;
The International Kahane Movement; The Jewish Idea Yeshiva; The
Judean Legion; The Judean Voice; The Gomemiyut Movement; The Rabbi Meir David Kahane
Memorial Fund; The Voice of Judea; The Way of the Torah; The Yeshiva of the
Jewish Idea; Yeshivat Harav Meir
Description
Kach's stated goal is to restore the biblical state of Israel. Kach was
founded by radical Israeli-American rabbi Meir Kahane. Its offshoot Kahane Chai,
(translation: "Kahane Lives") was founded by Meir Kahane's son
Binyamin following his father's 1990 assassination in the United States. Both
Kach and Kahane Chai were declared terrorist organizations in 1994 by the
Israeli Cabinet under its 1948 Terrorism Law. This designation followed the
groups' statements in support of Dr. Baruch Goldstein's attack in February 1994
on the Ibrahimi Mosque (Goldstein was affiliated with Kach) and their verbal
attacks on the Israeli government. Palestinian gunmen killed Binyamin Kahane and
his wife in a drive-by shooting in December 2000 in the West Bank.
Activities
Kach has harassed and threatened Arabs, Palestinians, and Israeli government
officials, and has vowed revenge for the death of Binyamin Kahane and his wife.
Kach is suspected of involvement in a number of low-level attacks since the
start of the al-Aqsa intifada in 2000.
Strength
Unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Israel and West Bank settlements, particularly Qiryat Arba' in Hebron.
External Aid
Receives support from sympathizers in the United States and Europe.
Kongra-Gel (KGK/PKK)
(Despite name changes, the group is still most commonly referred to as the PKK;
for the purposes of this report we refer to the group as Kongra-Gel/PKK or KGK/PKK.)
a.k.a. Kurdish Freedom Hawks (TAK); Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); Freedom and
Democracy Congress of Kurdistan (KADEK); Halu Mesru Savunma Kuvveti (HSK);
Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress; Kurdistan People's Congress (KHK);
Partiya Karkeran Kurdistan; People's Congress of Kurdistan; The People's Defense
Force.
Description
The KGK/PKK was founded by Abdullah Ocalan in 1974 as a Marxist-Leninist
separatist organization. The group, composed primarily of Turkish Kurds,
launched a campaign of violence in 1984. The KGK/PKK aspired to establish an
independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey, but in recent years has spoken
more often about cultural or linguistic rights. In the early 1990s, the KGK/PKK
moved beyond rural-based insurgent activities to include urban terrorism. In the
1990s south-eastern Anatolia was the scene of significant violence; some
estimates place casualties at approximately 30,000 persons. Following his
capture in 1999, Ocalan announced a "peace initiative," ordering
members to refrain from violence and requesting dialogue with Ankara on Kurdish
issues. Ocalan's death-sentence was commuted to life-imprisonment; he remains
the symbolic leader of the group. The group foreswore violence until June 2004,
when the group's hard-line militant wing took control and renounced the
self-imposed cease-fire of the previous five years. Striking over the border
from bases within Iraq the KGK/PKK engaged in terrorist attacks in eastern and
western Turkey.
Activities
Primary targets have been Turkish government security forces, local Turkish
officials, and villagers who oppose the organization in Turkey. The group
conducted attacks on Turkish diplomatic and commercial facilities in West
European cities in 1993 and again in spring 1995. In an attempt to damage
Turkey's tourist industry, the KGK/PKK bombed tourist sites and hotels and
kidnapped foreign tourists in the early-to-mid-1990s. Turkish authorities have
confirmed or suspect that the group is responsible for dozens of bombings since
2004 in western Turkey, particularly in Istanbul and increasingly in resort
areas on the western coast where foreign tourists, among others, have been
killed. There have also been dozens of military clashes between Turkish security
forces and KGK/PKK militants.
Strength
Approximately 4,000 to 5,000; 3,000 to 3,500 are currently located in northern
Iraq.
Location/Area of Operation
Operates primarily in Turkey, Iraq, Europe, and the Middle East.
External Aid
Kongra-Gel/PKK has historically received safe haven and modest aid from Syria,
Iraq, and Iran. Since 1999, Syria and Iran have cooperated with Turkey against
the PKK, in a limited fashion. The KGK/PKK funds raise in Europe.
Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LT) 1
a.k.a. Al Mansooreen; Al Mansoorian; Army of the Pure; Army of the Pure and
Righteous;
Army of the Righteous; Jamaat ud-Dawa and Al Monsooreen; Lashkar e-Toiba;
Lashkar-i-Taiba; Paasban-e-Ahle-Hadis; Paasban-e-Kashmir; Paasban-i-Ahle-Hadith;
Pasban-e-Ahle-Hadith; Pasban-e-Kashmir
Description
LT began as the militant wing of the Islamic extremist organization Markaz Dawa
ul-Irshad (MDI), which was formed in the mid-1980s. MDI changed its name to
Jamaat ul-Dawa (JUD) in 2001, probably in an effort to avoid Pakistan government
restrictions. LT, which is not connected to any political party, is led by Hafiz
Muhammad Saeed and is one of the three largest and best-trained groups fighting
in Kashmir against India. The Pakistani government banned the group and froze
its assets in January 2002. Elements of LT and Jaish-e-Muhammad combined with
other groups to mount attacks as "The Save Kashmir Movement."
Activities
LT has conducted a number of operations against Indian troops and civilian
targets in Jammu and Kashmir since 1993. LT claimed responsibility for numerous
attacks in 2001, including an attack in January on Srinagar airport that killed
five Indians; an attack on a police station in Srinagar that killed at least
eight officers and wounded several others; and an attack in April against Indian
border security forces that left at least four dead. The Indian government
publicly implicated LT, along with JEM, for the December 2001 attack on the
Indian Parliament building, although concrete evidence is lacking. LT is also
suspected of involvement in May 2002 attack on an Indian Army base in Kaluchak
that left 36 dead. India blamed LT for an October 2005 attack in New Delhi and a
December 2005 Bangalore attack. Senior al-Qaida lieutenant Abu Zubaydah was
captured at an LT safe house in Faisalabad in March 2002, which suggested that
some members were facilitating the movement of al-Qaida members in Pakistan.
Government of India officials hold LT responsible for the July 11, 2006 train
attack in Mumbai.
Strength
LT has several thousand members in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, in the southern Jammu
and Kashmir and Doda regions, and in the Kashmir Valley. Almost all LT members
are Pakistanis from madrassas across Pakistan or Afghan veterans of the Afghan
wars.The group uses assault rifles, light and heavy machine guns, mortars,
explosives, and rocket-propelled grenades.
Location/Area of Operation
Based in Muridke (near Lahore) and Muzaffarabad.
External Aid
Collects donations from the Pakistani expatriate communities in the Middle East
and United Kingdom, Islamic NGOs, and Pakistani and other Kashmiri business
people. LT also maintains a website under the name Jamaat ud-Daawa through which
it solicits funds and provides information on the group's activities. The
precise amount of LT funding is unknown.
Lashkar i Jhangvi (LJ) 1
a.k.a. Lashkar e Jhangvi; Lashkari-i-Jhangvi
Description
Lashkar i Jhangvi (LJ) is the militant offshoot of the Sunni Deobandi sectarian
group Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan. LJ focuses primarily on anti-Shia attacks and was
banned by Pakistani President Musharraf in August 2001 as part of an effort to
rein in sectarian violence. Many of its members then sought refuge in
Afghanistan with the Taliban, with whom they had existing ties. After the
collapse of the Taliban, LJ members became active in aiding other terrorists
with safe houses, false identities, and protection in Pakistani cities,
including Karachi, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi. In January 2003, the United States
added LJ to the list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
Activities
LJ specializes in armed attacks and bombings and has admitted responsibility for
numerous killings of Shia religious and community leaders in Pakistan. In
January 1999, the group attempted to assassinate former Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif and his brother Shabaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Punjab Province.
Pakistani authorities have publicly linked LJ members to the 2002 abduction and
murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl. Media reports linked LJ to attacks on
Christian targets in Pakistan, including a March 2002 grenade assault on the
Protestant International Church in Islamabad that killed two U.S. citizens, but
no formal charges were filed against the group. Pakistani authorities believe LJ
was responsible for the July 2003 bombing of a Shiite mosque in Quetta,
Pakistan. Authorities also implicated LJ in several sectarian incidents in 2004,
including the May and June bombings of two Shiite mosques in Karachi that killed
more than 40 people. In May 2006, Pakistani police arrested two LJ militants
suspected of involvement in the April bombing outside the U.S. Consulate in
Karachi that killed one U.S. official; investigations are ongoing. In late 2006,
Pakistani security agencies arrested eight suspects allegedly involved in the
October blast at the Ayub Park in Rawalpindi and in planting anti-tank rockets
at several locations in Islamabad. The Pakistani Interior Minister claimed these
suspects have links to LJ and al-Qaida.
Strength
Probably fewer than 100.
Location/Area of Operation
LJ is active primarily in Punjab and Karachi. Some members travel between
Pakistan and Afghanistan.
External Aid
Unknown.
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
a.k.a. Ellalan Force; The Tamil Tigers
Description
Founded in 1976, LTTEis the most powerful Tamil secessionist group in Sri Lanka.
LTTE wants to establish an independent Tamil state in the island's north and
east. It began its insurgency against the Sri Lankan government in 1983 and has
relied on a guerrilla strategy that includes the use of terrorist tactics. LTTE
nominally hasobserved a cease-fire agreement with the Sri Lankan government
since 2002. The United States designated LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist
Organization in October 1997.
Activities
LTTE has integrated a battlefield insurgent strategy with a terrorist program
that targets key personnel in the countryside and senior Sri Lankan political
and military leaders in Colombo and other urban centers. It also has conducted a
sustained campaign targeting rival Tamil groups and figures, and assassinated
the head of government of two countries: Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of India in
1991 and President Premadasa of Sri Lanka in 1993. LTTE is most notorious for
the Black Tigers, its cadre of suicide bombers. Political assassinations and
bombings were commonplace tactics prior to the cease-fire and have increased
again since mid-2005. Fighting between LTTE and the Sri Lanka government
escalated in 2006.
Strength
Exact strength is unknown, but LTTE is estimated to have 8,000 to 10,000 armed
combatants in Sri Lanka, with a core of 3,000 to 6,000 trained fighters.LTTE
also has a significant overseas support structure for fundraising, weapons
procurement, and propaganda activities.
Location/Area of Operations
Headquartered in northern Sri Lanka, LTTE controls portions of the northern and
eastern coastal areas of Sri Lanka, where it has set up a comprehensive
administrative structure, but also has conducted operations throughout the
island. LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has established an extensive network
of checkpoints and informants to keep track of any outsiders who enter the
group's area of control.
External Aid
LTTE's overt organizations support Tamil separatism by lobbying foreign
governments and the United Nations. LTTE also uses its international contacts
and the large Tamil Diaspora in North America, Europe, and Asia to procure
weapons, communications, funding, and other needed supplies.
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) 1
Description
The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) emerged in the early 1990s among
Libyans who had fought Soviet forces in Afghanistan and the Qadhafi regime in
Libya. The LIFG declared Libyan President Muammar Qadhafi un-Islamic and pledged
to overthrow him. Some members maintain a strictly anti-Qadhafi focus and
organize against Libyan government interests, but others, such as Abu al-Faraj
al-Libi, who was arrested in Pakistan in 2005, are aligned with Usama bin Ladin
and believed to be part of al-Qaida's leadership structure or active in the
international terrorist network. The United States designated the LIFG a Foreign
Terrorist Organization in December 2004.
Activities
Libyans associated with the LIFG are part of the broader international terrorist
movement. Spanish media in August 2005 linked Ziyad Hashem, an alleged member of
the LIFG's media committee, as well as the imprisoned amir Abdullah al-Sadeq,
with the Tunisian Islamist Serhane Ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, the suspected
ringleader in the 2004 Madrid attacks. The LIFG is one of the groups believed to
have planned the Casablanca suicide bombings in May 2003. The LIFG continues to
target Libyan interests, and attempted to assassinate Qadhafi a total of four
times; the last attempt was in 1998. The LIFG engaged Libyan security forces in
armed clashes during the 1990s.
Strength
Probably has several hundred active members or supporters.
Location/Area of Operation
Since the late 1990s many members have fled to various Asian, Arabian Gulf,
African, and European countries, particularly the United Kingdom. It is likely
that LIFG maintains a clandestine presence in Libya.
External Aid
Unknown. The LIFG has used Islamic charitable organizations as cover for raising
and transferring money and documents.
Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM) 1
a.k.a. Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain
Description
The Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM) is a clandestine transnational
terrorist group currently centered in the Moroccan diaspora communities of
Western Europe. Its goals include establishing an Islamic state in Morocco and
supporting al-Qaida's war against the West by assisting in the assimilation of
al-Qaida operatives into Moroccan and then European society. The group appears
to have emerged in the 1990s and is comprised of Moroccan recruits who trained
in armed camps in Afghanistan, including some who fought in the Soviet Afghan
war. GICM members interact with other North African extremists, particularly in
Europe. In November 2002, the United States designated the GICM for asset freeze
under EO 13224 following the group's submission to the UNSCR 1267 Sanctions
Committee. The United States designated GICM as a Foreign Terrorist Organization
on October 11, 2005.
Activities
The GICM carried out its first attack in Casablanca, Morocco on May 16, 2003,
and GICM members were responsible for the Madrid attack. Moroccans associated
with the GICM are part of the broader international terrorist movement; GICM
members have been implicated in the recruitment network of individuals for Iraq,
and at least one GICM member has carried out a suicide attack against Coalition
Forces in Iraq.
Strength
Much of the GICM's leadership in Morocco and Europe have been killed,
imprisoned, or are awaiting trial. Alleged leader Mohamed al-Guerbouzi has been
convicted in absentia by the Moroccan government for his role in the Casablanca
attacks but remains free in exile in the United Kingdom.
Location/Area of Operation
Morocco, Western Europe, Afghanistan, and Canada.
External Aid
The GICM is involved heavily in narcotics trafficking in North Africa and Europe
to fund their operations. Moroccan security officials believe money from drug
trafficking largely financed the 2003 Casablanca attacks. The Madrid attacks
were financed mainly by the narcotics trafficking of Moroccan jihadist Jamal
Ahmidan.
Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK)
a.k.a. MKO; Mujahedin-e Khalq; Muslim Iranian Students' Society; National
Council of Resistance; National Council of Resistance (NCR); Organization of the
People's Holy Warriors of Iran; The National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA); The
People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI); National Council of Resistance
of Iran (NCRI); Sazeman-e Mujahedin-e Khalq-e Iran
Description
The MEK advocates the violent overthrow of the Iranian regime and was
responsible for the assassination of several U.S. military personnel and
civilians in the 1970's. MEK leadership and members across the world maintain
the capacity and will to commit terrorist acts in Europe, the Middle East, the
United State, Canada, and beyond.
The MEK emerged in the 1960s as one of the more violent political movements
opposed to the Pahlavi dynasty and its close relationship with the United
States. MEK ideology has gone through several iterations and blends elements of
Marxism, Islam, and feminism. Following its participation in the 1979 Islamic
Revolution, the group rapidly fell out of favor with the Iranian people. The new
Iranian government under Supreme Leader Khomeini systematically arrested and
targeted many MEK members, causing most MEK leadership to flee to Europe. In
1986, MEK leaders and operatives were evicted from France and provided a safe
haven in Iraq by Saddam Hussein. The group has planned and executed terrorist
operations against the Iranian regime for nearly three decades from its European
and Iraqi bases of operations. Additionally, it has expanded its fundraising
base, further developed its paramilitary skills, and aggressively worked to
expand its European ranks. In addition to its terrorist credentials, the MEK has
also displayed cult-like characteristics. Upon entry into the group, new members
are indoctrinated in MEK ideology and revisionist Iranian history. Members are
also required to undertake a vow of "eternal divorce" and participate
in weekly "ideological cleansings." Additionally, children are
reportedly separated from parents at a young age. MEK leader Maryam Rajavi has
established a "cult of personality." She claims to emulate the Prophet
Muhammad and is viewed by members as the "Iranian President in exile."
Activities
The group's worldwide campaign against the Iranian government uses propaganda
and terrorism to achieve its objectives and has been supported by reprehensible
regimes, including that of Saddam Hussein. During the 1970s, the MEK
assassinated several U.S. military personnel and U.S. civilians working on
defense projects in Tehran and supported the violent takeover in 1979 of the
U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Despite U.S. efforts, MEK members have never been
brought to justice for the group's role in these illegal acts.
In 1981, MEK leadership attempted to overthrow the newly installed Islamic
regime; Iranian security forces subsequently initiated a crackdown on the group.
The MEK instigated a bombing campaign, including an attack against the head
office of the Islamic Republic Party and the Prime Minister's office, which
killed some 70 high-ranking Iranian officials, including Chief Justice Ayatollah
Mohammad Beheshti, President Mohammad-Ali Rajaei, and Prime Minister Mohammad-Javad
Bahonar. These attacks resulted in a popular uprising against the MEK and an
expanded Iranian government crackdown which forced MEK leaders to flee to
France. For five years, the MEK continued to wage its terrorist campaign from
its Paris headquarters. Expelled by France in 1986, MEK leaders turned to Saddam
Hussein's regime for basing, financial support, and training. Near the end of
the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, Baghdad armed the MEK with heavy military equipment
and deployed thousands of MEK fighters in suicidal, mass wave attacks against
Iranian forces.
The MEK's relationship with the former Iraqi regime continued through the
1990s. In 1991, the group reportedly assisted in the Iraqi Republican Guard's
bloody crackdown on Iraqi Shia and Kurds who rose up against Saddam Hussein's
regime; press reports cite MEK leader Maryam Rajavi encouraging MEK members to
"take the Kurds under your tanks." In April 1992, the MEK conducted
near-simultaneous attacks on Iranian embassies and installations in 13
countries, demonstrating the group's ability to mount large-scale operations
overseas. In April 1999, the MEK targeted key Iranian military officers and
assassinated the deputy chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff,
Brigadier General Ali Sayyaad Shirazi.
In April 2000, the MEK attempted to assassinate the commander of the Nasr
Headquarters, Tehran's interagency board responsible for coordinating policies
on Iraq. The pace of anti-Iranian operations increased during "Operation
Great Bahman" in February 2000, when the group launched a dozen attacks
against Iran. One of those attacks included a mortar attack against a major
Iranian leadership complex in Tehran that housed the offices of the Supreme
Leader and the President. In 2000 and 2001, the MEK was involved in regular
mortar attacks and hit-and-run raids against Iranian military and law
enforcement personnel, as well as government buildings near the Iran-Iraq
border. Also in 2001, the FBI arrested seven Iranians in the United States who
funneled $400,000 to an MEK-affiliated organization in the UAE which used the
funds to purchase weapons. Following an initial Coalition bombardment of the
MEK's facilities in Iraq at the outset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, MEK
leadership negotiated a cease-fire with Coalition Forces and voluntarily
surrendered their heavy-arms to Coalition control. Since 2003, roughly 3,400 MEK
members have been encamped at Ashraf in Iraq, under the supervision of Coalition
Forces.
In 2003, French authorities arrested 160 MEK members at operational bases
they believed the MEK was using to coordinate financing and planning for
terrorist attacks. Upon the arrest of MEK leader Maryam Rajavi, MEK members took
to Paris' streets and engaged in self-immolation. French authorities eventually
released Rajavi. Although currently in hiding, Rajavi has made appearances via
video-satellite to "motivate" MEK-sponsored conferences across the
globe.
According to evidence which became available after the fall of Saddam
Hussein, the MEK received millions of dollars in Oil-for-Food program subsidies
from Saddam Hussein from 1999 through 2003, which supported planning and
executing future terrorist attacks. In addition to discovering 13 lists of
recipients of such vouchers on which the MEK appeared, evidence linking the MEK
to the former Iraqi regime includes lists, as well as video footage of Saddam
Hussein handing over suitcases of money to known MEK leaders, and video of MEK
operatives receiving training from the Iraqi military.
Strength
Estimates place MEK's worldwide membership in the several thousands, with large
pockets in Paris and other major European capitals. In Iraq, roughly 3,400 MEK
members are gathered under Coalition supervision at Camp Ashraf, the MEK's main
compound north of Baghdad, where they have been designated as "protected
persons" under Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. This status does
not affect the group's members outside of Camp Ashraf or the MEK's designation
as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. As a condition of the 2003 cease-fire
agreement, the MEK relinquished more than 2,000 tanks; armored personnel
carriers; and heavy artillery. A significant number of MEK personnel have
voluntarily left Ashraf, and an additional several hundred MEK defectors have
been voluntarily repatriated to Iran. Many MEK leaders and operatives, however,
remain at large, and the number of at-large MEK operatives who received weapons
and bomb-making instruction from Saddam Hussein's regime remains a source of
significant concern.
Location/Area of Operation
In the 1980s, the MEK's leaders were forced by Iranian security forces to flee
to France. Following France's recognition of the Iranian regime in 1986, the
group's leadership was forced out of France and took up residence in Iraq. The
MEK maintains its main headquarters in Paris and has concentrations of members
across Europe, in addition to the large concentration of MEK located at Camp
Ashraf in Iraq. The MEK's global support structure remains in place with
associates and supporters scattered throughout Europe and North America.
Operations target Iranian regime elements across the globe, including in Europe
and Iran. MEK's political arm, the NCRI, has a global support network with
active lobbying and propaganda efforts in major Western capitals. NCRI also has
a well-developed media communications strategy.
External Aid
Before Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003; the MEK received all of its
military assistance and most of its financial support from Saddam Hussein. The
fall of Saddam's regime has led MEK to increasingly rely on front organizations
to solicit contributions from expatriate Iranian communities.
National Liberation Army (ELN)
a.k.a. Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional
Description
The ELN is a Colombian Marxist insurgent group formed in 1965 by urban
intellectuals inspired by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. It is primarily
rural-based, although it possesses several urban units. In December 2005, the
ELN began preliminary talks with the Colombian government in Cuba, but had not
yet agreed to begin a formal peace process.
Activities
ELN conducts kidnapping, hijacking, bombing, and extortion. It has minimal
conventional military capability. The group conducts kidnappings for ransom,
often targeting foreign employees of large corporations, especially in the
petroleum industry. ELN derives some revenue from taxation of the illegal
narcotics industry, and its involvement may be increasing. It assaults energy
infrastructure and has inflicted major damage on pipelines and the electrical
distribution network but has lost much of its capacity to carry out attacks in
the past few years.
Strength
Approximately 3,000 armed combatants and an unknown number of active supporters.
Location/Area of Operation
Mostly in rural and mountainous areas of northern, northeastern, and
southwestern Colombia, and Venezuelan border regions.
External Aid
Cuba provides some medical care and political consultation.
Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)
a.k.a. PLF-Abu Abbas Faction
Description
In the late 1970s the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) splintered from the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), and
later split into pro-PLO, pro-Syrian, and pro-Libyan factions. The pro-PLO
faction was led by Muhammad Zaydan (a.k.a. Abu Abbas) and was based in Baghdad
prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Activites
Abbas's group was responsible for the 1985 attack on the Italian cruise ship
Achille Lauro and the murder of U.S. citizen Leon Klinghoffer. In 1993, the PLF
officially renounced terrorism when it acknowledged the Oslo accords, although
it was suspected of supporting terrorism against Israel by other Palestinian
groups into the 1990s. In April 2004, Abu Abbas died of natural causes while in
U.S. custody in Iraq. Current leadership and membership of the relatively small
PLF appears to be based in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
Strength
Unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Based in Iraq from 1990 until 2003, the group currently is based in Lebanon.
External Aid
Unknown.
Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
a.k.a. Islamic Jihad of Palestine; PIJ-Shaqaqi Faction; PIJ-Shallah Faction; Al-Quds
Brigades
Description
Formed by militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the 1970s, Palestine
Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is committed to the creation of an Islamic state in all of
historic Palestine and the destruction of Israel through attacks against Israeli
military and civilian targets.
Activities
PIJ terrorists have conducted numerous attacks, including large-scale suicide
bombings against Israeli civilian and military targets. In 2006, the group
conducted two suicide bombings and launched numerous homemade rockets from the
Gaza Strip into neighboring Israeli towns. PIJ continues to plan and direct
attacks against Israelis both inside Israel and in the Palestinian territories.
Although U.S. citizens have died in PIJ mounted attacks, the group has not
directly targeted U.S. interests.
Strength
Unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Primarily Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The group's central
leadership resides in Syria. Other leadership elements reside in Lebanon and
official representatives are scattered throughout the Middle East.
External Aid
Receives financial assistance primarily from Iran. Syria provides the group with
safe haven.
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
Description
Formerly a part of the PLO, the Marxist-Leninist PFLP was founded by George
Habash when it broke away from the Arab Nationalist Movement in 1967. The PFLP
does not view the Palestinian struggle as religious, seeing it instead as a
broader revolution against Western imperialism. The group earned a reputation
for spectacular international attacks in the 1960s and 1970s, including airline
hijackings that killed at least 20 U.S. citizens.
Activites
The PFLP has stepped up its operational activity since the start of the current
intifada, highlighted by at least two suicide bombings since 2003, multiple
joint operations with other Palestinian terrorist groups, and the assassination
of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi in 2001, to avenge Israel's killing
of the PFLP Secretary General earlier that year. In March 2006, the PFLP's
current Secretary General, Ahmed Sa'adat, who had been imprisoned by the
Palestinian Authority for his involvement in the Ze'evi assassination, was
seized from the Jericho prison compound by Israeli forces and is now awaiting
trial.
Strength
Unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
External Aid
Receives safe haven and some logistical assistance from Syria.
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC)
Description
The PFLP-GC split from the PFLP in 1968, claiming it wanted to focus more on
fighting and less on politics. Originally, the group was violently opposed to
the Arafat-led PLO. Ahmad Jibril, a former captain in the Syrian Army, whose son
Jihad was killed by a car bomb in May 2002, has led the PFLP-GC since its
founding. The PFLP-GC is closely tied to both Syria and Iran.
Activites
The PFLP-GC carried out dozens of attacks in Europe and the Middle East during
the 1970s and 1980s. The organization was known for cross-border terrorist
attacks into Israel using unusual means, such as hot-air balloons and motorized
hang gliders. The group's primary focus now is on guerrilla operations in
southern Lebanon, training members of other Palestinian terrorist groups, and
weapons smuggling. The PFLP-GC maintains an armed presence in several refugee
camps and military bases throughout Lebanon.
Strength
Several hundred.
Location/Area of Operation
Headquartered in Damascus with bases in Lebanon.
External Aid
Receives logistical and military support from Syria and financial support from
Iran.
Al-Qaida1
a.k.a. International Front for Fighting Jews and Crusaders; Islamic Army;
Islamic Army for the Liberation of Holy Sites; Islamic Salvation Foundation; The
Base; The Group for the Preservation of the Holy Sites; The Islamic Army for the
Liberation of the Holy Places; The World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews
and Crusaders; Usama bin Ladin Network; Usama bin Ladin Organization; Qaidat
al-Jihad
Description
Al-Qaida was established by Usama bin Ladin in 1988 with Arabs who fought in
Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. The group helped finance, recruit,
transport, and train Sunni Islamic extremists for the Afghan resistance. Al-Qaida's
goal is uniting Muslims to fight the United States and its allies, overthrowing
regimes it deems "non-Islamic," and expelling Westerners and
non-Muslims from Muslim countries. Its ultimate goal is the establishment of a
pan-Islamic caliphate throughout the world. Al-Qaida leaders issued a statement
in February 1998 under the banner of "The World Islamic Front for Jihad
Against the Jews and Crusaders" saying it was the duty of all Muslims to
kill U.S. citizens, civilian and military, and their allies everywhere. Al-Qaida
merged with al-Jihad (Egyptian Islamic Jihad) in June 2001, renaming itself
"Qaidat al-Jihad."
Activities
Even as al-Qaida's top leaders continue to plot and direct terror attacks
worldwide, terrorists affiliated with al-Qaida but not necessarily controlled by
bin Ladin have increasingly carried out high-profile attacks. Over the past four
years, al-Qaida, its affiliates, and those inspired by the group were also
involved in anti-U.S. and anti-Coalition attacks in Africa, Europe, the Middle
East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, including suicide bombings and
vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.
In 2006, al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continued major efforts to
attack the West and its interests. For example, in mid-August, U.K. and U.S.
authorities foiled a plot to blow up as many as ten aircraft. Al-Qaida may have
been complicit in the plot but the group has made no public statement claiming
its involvement. Additionally, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed
responsibility for the February 24, 2006, attack on the Abqaiq petroleum
processing facility, the largest such facility in the world, in Saudi Arabia.
The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) officially merged with al-Qaida
in September 2006, subsequently changed its name to al-Qaida in the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM), and attacked a U.S. contractor bus in December 2006 in greater
Algiers, marking its first attack against a U.S. entity.
Bin Ladin's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri claimed responsibility on behalf of al-Qaida
for multiple attacks in 2005 against the London public transportation system.
The extent of senior leadership involvement in planning the July 2005 attacks is
unclear, however, some suspects in the attacks included homegrown United
Kingdom-based extremists who were inspired by al-Qaida.
In 2003 and 2004, Saudi-based al-Qaida operatives and associated extremists
launched more than a dozen attacks, killing at least 90 people, including 14
Americans in Saudi Arabia. Al-Qaida may have been connected to the suicide
bombers and planners of the November 2003 attacks in Istanbul that targeted two
synagogues, the British Consulate, and the HSBC Bank, and resulted in the deaths
of more than 60 people. Pakistani President Musharraf blames al-Qaida for two
attempts on his life in December 2003.
In October 2002, al-Qaida directed a suicide attack on the French tanker MV
Limburg off the coast of Yemen that killed one and injured four. The group also
carried out the November 2002 suicide bombing of a hotel in Mombasa, Kenya,
which killed 15. Al-Qaida probably provided financing for the October 2002 Bali
bombings by Jemaah Islamiya that killed more than 200.
On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaida members hijacked and crashed four U.S.
commercial jets -- two into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into
the Pentagon near Washington, DC, and a fourth into a field in Shanksville,
Pennsylvania -- leaving nearly 3,000 individuals dead or missing. In October
2000, al-Qaida conducted a suicide attack on the USS Cole in the port of Aden,
Yemen, with an explosive-laden boat, killing 17 U.S. Navy sailors and injuring
39. Al-Qaida also carried out the August 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in
Nairobi and Dar es Salaam killing at least 301 individuals and injuring more
than 5,000 others. Al-Qaida and its supporters claim to have shot down U.S.
helicopters and killed U.S. servicemen in Somalia in 1993, and to have conducted
three bombings that targeted U.S. troops in Aden in December 1992.
Strength
Al-Qaida's organizational strength is difficult to determine in the aftermath of
extensive counterterrorist efforts since 9/11. The arrests and deaths of
mid-level and senior al-Qaida operatives have disrupted some communication,
financial, and facilitation nodes and disrupted some terrorist plots.
Additionally, supporters and associates worldwide who are inspired by the
group's ideology may be operating without direction from al-Qaida's central
leadership; it is impossible to estimate their numbers. Al-Qaida also serves as
a focal point of inspiration for a worldwide network that is comprised of many
Sunni Islamic extremist groups, including some members of the Gama'at al-Islamiyya,
the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Islamic Jihad Group, Lashkar i Jhangvi,
Harakat ul-Mujahedin, Ansar al-Sunnah, the Taliban, Jemaah Islamiya, and the
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group.
Location/Area of Operation
Al-Qaida's worldwide networks are augmented by ties to local Sunni extremists.
The group was based in Afghanistan until Coalition Forces removed the Taliban
from power in late 2001. While the largest concentration of senior al-Qaida
members now reside in Pakistan, the network incorporates members of al-Qaida in
Iraq and other associates throughout the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa,
Europe, and Central Asia who continue working to carry out future attacks
against U.S. and Western interests.
External Aid
Al-Qaida primarily depends on donations from like-minded supporters and
individuals who believe that their money is supporting a humanitarian or other
cause. Some funds are diverted from Islamic charitable organizations.
Additionally, parts of the organization raise funds through criminal activities;
for example, al-Qaida in Iraq raises funds through hostage-taking for ransom,
and members in Europe have engaged in credit card fraud. U.S. and international
efforts to block al-Qaida funding have hampered the group's ability to raise
money.
Al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) 1
a.k.a. Al-Qaida Group of Jihad in Iraq; Al-Qaida Group of Jihad in the Land of
the Two Rivers;
Al-Qaida in Mesopotamia; Al-Qaida in the Land of the Two Rivers; Al-Qaida of
Jihad in Iraq; Al-Qaida of Jihad Organization in the Land of The Two Rivers; Al-Qaida
of the Jihad in the Land of the Two Rivers; Al-Tawhid; Jam'at al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad;
Tanzeem Qaidat al Jihad/Bilad al Raafidaini; Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn;
The Monotheism and Jihad Group; The Organization Base of Jihad/Country of the
Two Rivers; The Organization Base of Jihad/Mesopotamia; The Organization of
al-Jihad's Base in Iraq; The Organization of al-Jihad's Base in the Land of the
Two Rivers; The Organization of al-Jihad's Base of Operations in Iraq; The
Organization of al-Jihad's Base of Operations in the Land of the Two Rivers; The
Organization of Jihad's Base in the Country of the Two Rivers
Description
In an attempt to unify Sunni jihadists in Iraq, in January 2006, al-Qaida in
Iraq (AQI) created the Mujahidin Shura Council (MSC), an umbrella organization
meant to encompass the various Sunni jihadist groups in Iraq. AQI claimed its
attacks under the MSC until mid-October, when Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi's successor,
Abu Ayyub al-Masri, took the first step toward al-Qaida's goal of establishing a
caliphate in the region by declaring the "Islamic State of Iraq" (ISI),
under which AQI now claims its attacks.
On June 7, 2006, AQI leader Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S.
airstrike. Following his death, the MSC announced Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also
known at Abu Ayyub al-Masri, as Zarqawi's successor. Abu Ayyub promptly issued a
statement pledging to continue what Zarqawi had started, and AQI has continued
its strategy of targeting Coalition Forces and Shi'a civilians in an attempt to
foment sectarian strife. Although Coalition and Iraqi security force operations
also have cost AQI dozens of lieutenants and high-ranking network members,
overall violence in Iraq is at a higher level than it was while Zarqawi was
alive.
Activities
In August 2003, Zarqawi's group carried out a major terrorist attack in Iraq
when it bombed the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad, followed 12 days later by a
suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack against the UN
Headquarters in Baghdad that killed 23, including the Secretary-General's
Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. That same month the
group conducted a VBIED attack against Shia worshippers outside the Imam Ali
Mosque in al Najaf, killing 85, including the leader of the Supreme Council for
the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). The group kept up its attack pace
throughout 2003, striking numerous Iraqi, Coalition, and relief agency targets
such as the Red Cross. Zarqawi's group conducted VBIED attacks against U.S.
military personnel and Iraqi infrastructure throughout 2004, including suicide
attacks inside the Green Zone perimeter in Baghdad. The group successfully
penetrated the Green Zone in the October 2004 bombing of a popular café and
market. It also claimed responsibility for the videotaped execution by beheading
of Americans Nicholas Berg (May 8, 2004), Jack Armstrong (September 20, 2004),
and Jack Hensley (September 21, 2004). AQI was likely involved in other hostage
incidents as well. In 2005, AQI largely focused on conducting multiple
high-profile, coordinated suicide attacks. AQI claimed numerous attacks
primarily aimed against civilians, the Iraqi government, and security forces,
such as the coordinated attacks against polling sites during the January
elections and the coordinated VBIED attacks outside the Sheraton and Palestine
hotels in Baghdad on October 24. The group also continued assassinations against
Shia leaders and Shia militia--Jaysh al-Mahdi and Badr Corps.
AQI increased its external operations in 2005 by claiming credit for three
attacks: suicide bomber attacks against hotels in Amman on November 9; a rocket
attack against U.S. Navy ships in the port of Aqaba in August, which resulted in
limited damage in Jordan and in Eilat, Israel; and the firing of several rockets
into Israel from Lebanon in December. In August 2005, an AQI operative was
arrested in Turkey while planning an operation targeting Israeli cruise ships.
Prior to 2005, AQI planned and conducted limited attacks in Jordan, including
the assassination of USAID official Laurence Foley in 2002. In October 2006, AQI
declared the ISI would become a platform from which AQI would launch jihad
throughout the world. Following the announcement, AQI members marched through
cities they considered to be part of their new state as a show of force. AQI
attack claims, which the group released under the auspices of the Mujahidin
Shura Council and now the ISI, increased in 2006.
Strength
Precise numbers are unknown, but AQI is the largest terrorist group in Iraq.
Location/Area of Operation
AQI's operations are predominately Iraq-based, but the group maintains an
extensive logistical network throughout the Middle East, North Africa, Iran,
South Asia, and Europe.
External Aid
AQI probably receives funds from donors in the Middle East and Europe, local
sympathizers in Iraq, a variety of businesses and criminal activities, and other
international extremists throughout the world. In many cases, AQI's donors are
probably motivated by support for terrorism rather than affiliation with any
specific terrorist group.
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) [Formerly Salafist Group for
Preaching and Combat (GSPC)]
a.k.a. Le Groupe Salafiste pour la Predication et le Combat; Salafist Group
for Call and Combat
Description
The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) officially merged with al-Qaida
in September 2006, and subsequently changed its name to al-Qaida in the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM). GSPC members abandoned the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) over
disagreements about leadership and tactics, but retained the mission of
overthrowing the Algerian Government and installing an Islamic regime. AQIM/GSPC
is the most effective and largest armed group inside Algeria. In contrast to the
GIA, it has pledged to avoid civilian attacks inside Algeria.
Activities
AQIM/GSPC attacked a U.S. contractor bus in December 2006 in greater Algiers. In
Zawahiri's September 11 speech announcing the GSPC's merger with al-Qaida,
Zawahiri called on it to be "a bone in the throat of the American and
French crusaders" and to sow fear "in the heart of the traitors and
apostate sons of France." AQIM/GSPC continues to conduct operations aimed
at government and military targets, primarily in rural areas, although civilians
are sometimes killed. AQIM/GSPC executed simultaneous attacks on October 30 on
two police stations just east of Algiers, killing three civilians, wounding 14
police officers, and causing substantial damage to both facilities. In 2005, the
GSPC claimed responsibility for an attack on a remote Mauritanian military
outpost, killing 15, while indicating a shift in its strategy toward a more
global war beyond Algerian borders.
Police in France, Italy and Spain arrested several Algerians suspected of
providing support to AQIM/GSPC, and French officials announced that the AQIM/GSPC
had issued an Internet call-to-action against France, declaring France
"public enemy number one." The Government of Algeria scored major
counterterrorism successes against AQIM/GSPC in 2004, killing AQIM/GSPC leader
Nabil Sahraoui and separately taking custody of Abderazak al-Para, who led a
AQIM/GSPC faction that held 32 European tourists hostage in 2003.
Strength
Several hundred fighters with an unknown number of facilitators outside Algeria.
Location/Area of Operation
Algeria, the Sahel, Canada, and Western Europe.
External Aid
Algerian expatriates and AQIM/GSPC members abroad, many residing in Western
Europe, provide financial and logistical support. AQIM/GSPC members also engage
in criminal activity.
Real IRA (RIRA)
a.k.a. 32 County Sovereignty Committee; 32 County Sovereignty Movement; Irish
Republican Prisoners Welfare Association; Real Irish Republican Army; Real
Oglaigh Na Heireann
Description
Like the Continuity IRA, RIRA did not participate in the September 2005 weapons
decommissioning. RIRA was formed in 1997 as the clandestine armed wing of the 32
County Sovereignty Movement, a "political pressure group" dedicated to
removing British forces from Northern Ireland and unifying Ireland. RIRA also
seeks to disrupt the Northern Ireland peace process. The 32 County Sovereignty
Movement opposed Sinn Fein's adoption in September 1997 of the Mitchell
principles of democracy and non-violence; it also opposed the amendment in
December 1999 of Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution that laid claim to
Northern Ireland. Despite internal rifts and calls by some jailed members,
including the group's founder Michael "Mickey" McKevitt, for a
cease-fire and disbandment, RIRA has pledged additional violence and continues
to conduct attacks.
Activities
Many RIRA members are former Provisional Irish Republican Army members who left
that organization after it renewed its cease-fire in 1997. These members brought
a wealth of experience in terrorist tactics and bomb-making to RIRA. Targets
have included civilians (most notoriously in the Omagh bombing in August 1998),
British security forces, police in Northern Ireland, and local Protestant
communities. RIRA's most recent fatal attack was in August 2002 at a London army
base, killing a construction worker. The organization wants to improve its
intelligence-gathering ability, engineering capacity, and access to weaponry; it
also trains members in the use of guns and explosives. RIRA continues to attract
new members, and its senior members are committed to launching attacks on
security forces. Three suspected RIRA members that engaged in cigarette
smuggling were arrested in Spain in 2006.
Strength
The number of activists may have fallen to less than 100. The organization may
receive limited support from IRA hardliners and Republican sympathizers
dissatisfied with the IRA's continuing cease-fire and with Sinn Fein's
involvement in the peace process. Approximately 40 RIRA members are in Irish
jails.
Location/Area of Operation
Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and the Irish Republic.
External Aid
Suspected of receiving funds from sympathizers in the United States and of
attempting to buy weapons from U.S. gun dealers. RIRA also is reported to have
purchased sophisticated weapons from the Balkans.
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
a.k.a. Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia
Description
The FARC is Latin America's oldest, largest, most capable, and best-equipped
insurgency. It began in the early sixties as an outgrowth of the Liberal
Party-based peasant self-defense leagues, but took on Marxist ideology, although
it only nominally fights in support of Marxist goals today. The FARC is governed
by a general secretariat led by long-time leader Manuel Marulanda (a.k.a. "Tirofijo")
and six others, including senior military commander Jorge Briceno (a.k.a.
"Mono Jojoy"). The FARC is organized along military lines and includes
some specialized urban fighting units. A Colombian military offensive targeting
FARC fighters in their former safe haven in southern Colombia has experienced
some success, with several FARC mid-level leaders killed or captured. France,
Spain, and Switzerland formed an international commission in November 2005 to
aid the Colombian government and the FARC with humanitarian exchange
negotiations, which are currently stalled.
Activities
FARC has carried out bombings, murder, mortar attacks, kidnapping, extortion,
and hijacking, as well as guerrilla and conventional military action against
Colombian political, military, and economic targets. In February 2003, when a
U.S. plane crashed in a FARC-held area, the FARC murdered a U.S. citizen and a
Colombian; it continues to hold hostage the three other U.S. citizens that were
on the plane. Foreign citizens often are targets of abductions that FARC carries
out in pursuit of ransom and political leverage. The FARC has well-documented
ties to the full range of narcotics trafficking activities, including taxation,
cultivation, and distribution.
Strength
Approximately 15,000 combatants and several thousand more supporters, mostly in
rural areas.
Location/Area of Operation
Primarily in Colombia with some activities such as extortion, kidnapping,
weapons sourcing, logistics, and R&R in neighboring countries.
External Aid
Cuba and Venezuela provide some medical care, safe haven, and political
consultation. The FARC often uses the | 