Background Information on
Terrorist Groups
(2006)
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) 1
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) 1
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) 1
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 | 
