Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigades [Back to Top]
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades consists of an unknown number of small cells of terrorists associated with the Palestinian Fatah organization. Al-Aqsa emerged at the outset of the 2000 Palestinian intifadah to attack Israeli targets with the aim of driving the Israeli military and settlers from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem, and to establish a Palestinian state.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, Center for Defense Information, Federation of American Scientists

Al Fatah [Back to Top]
Fatah is a secular, Palestinian nationalist organization that has played and continues to play a pivotal role in Palestinian politics. Fatah was founded in the late 1950s by five Palestinian activists operating out of Kuwait: Yasser Arafat, Khalil El-Wazir, Salah Khalaf, Khalid al-Hasan, and Faruk Qaddumi. The original ideology of Fatah utterly rejected the legitimacy of Israel and espoused violence as a means to drive Israel out of greater Palestine. Initially, Fatah operated in secret, organizing Palestinian commando attacks against Israel. Fatah distanced itself from the broader Arab nationalist movement which focused on Arab intervention on behalf of the Palestinian cause. Fatah stressed Palestinian self-sufficiency as the key to defeating Israel and creating an independent Palestinian state.
Sources: Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, Federation of American Scientists, GlobalSecurity.org

Al Jihad [Back to Top]
This Egyptian Islamic extremist group merged with Usama Bin Ladin’s al-Qa’ida 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 primary targets, historically, have been high-level Egyptian Government officials as well as US and Israeli interests in Egypt and abroad. Regular Egyptian crackdowns on extremists, including on AJ, have greatly reduced AJ capabilities in Egypt.
Sources: US State Dept., Center for Non-Proliferation Studies, Center for Defense Information, GlobalSecurity.org

Al Qaeda [Back to Top]
Al-Qaeda was established by Usama Bin Ladin in 1988 with Arabs who fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. Helped finance, recruit, transport, and train Sunni Islamic extremists for the Afghan resistance. Goal is to unite Muslims to fight the United States as a means of defeating Israel, overthrowing regimes it deems “non-Islamic,” and expelling Westerners and non-Muslims from Muslim countries. Eventual goal would be establishment of a pan-Islamic caliphate throughout the world. Issued 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 US citizens, civilian and military, and their allies everywhere. Merged with al-Jihad (Egyptian Islamic Jihad) in June 2001, renaming itself “Qa’idat al-Jihad.” Merged with Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi’s organization in Iraq in late 2004, with al-Zarqawi’s group changing its name to “Qa’idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn” (al-Qaeda in the Land of the Two Rivers).
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, Center for Defense Information, Federation of American Scientists, Center for Non-Proliferation Studies

Al Qaeda in Iraq [Back to Top]
The Jordanian Palestinian Abu Mus‘ab al-Zarqawi (Ahmad Fadhil Nazzal al-Khalaylah, a.k.a. Abu Ahmad, Abu Azraq) established cells in Iraq soon after the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), formalizing his group in April 2004 to bring together jihadists and other insurgents in Iraq fighting against US and Coalition forces. Zarqawi initially called his group “Unity and Jihad” (Jama‘at al-Tawhid wa’al-Jihad, or JTJ). Zarqawi and his group helped finance, recruit, transport, and train Sunni Islamic extremists for the Iraqi resistance. The group adopted its current name after its October 2004 merger with Usama Bin Ladin’s al-Qaeda. The immediate goal of QJBR is to expel the Coalition — through a campaign of bombings, kidnappings, assassinations, and intimidation — and establish an Islamic state in Iraq. QJBR’s longer-term goal is to proliferate jihad from Iraq into “Greater Syria,” that is, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, Federation of American Scientists

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [Back to Top]
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is a militant Islamist organization, primarily active in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. It was named for al-Qaeda, and says it is subordinate to that group and its leader Osama bin Laden. Like al-Qaeda, it opposes the Al Saud monarchy. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton formally designated it a terrorist organization on December 14, 2009. In addition to a number of attacks in Saudi Arabia and the kidnap and murder of Paul Johnson in Riyadh, this group is suspected in connection with a bombing in Doha, Qatar, in March 2005. The group also publishes the al-Qaeda online magazine Voice of Jihad. The Global Terrorism Database attributes the 2004 Khobar massacre to this group. In this guise, it is also known as "The Jerusalem Squadron." AQAP said it was responsible for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 as it approached Detroit on December 25, 2009.
Sources: Wikipedia, BBC News, National Counter-Terrorism Center, US State Department, Global Security.org

Al Qaeda in the Land of Islamic Maghreb [Back to Top]
The al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly known as the Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC)) is a violent extremist group based in Algeria. The organization has operated since 1996 and is now the most significant terrorist movement in Algeria. As the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, the group broke away from the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), which was the primary terrorist entity during the 1992-2000 insurgency in Algeria. GIA aims to create an Islamist state in Algeria. While the GSPC broke away from GIA in 1998, both groups maintain the objective of overthrowing the secular Algerian government and establishing an Islamist state in the country. The word ‘salafi’ means fundamentalist, and Salafists believe in a “pure” interpretation of the Koran. While not all Salafists are extremists, GSPC’s objectives are rooted in this ideology.
Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, Jamestown Foundation

Al-Shabaab [Back to Top]
The Harakat Shabaab al-Mujahidin (al-Shabaab)— also known as al-Shabaab, Shabaab, the Youth, Mujahidin al-Shabaab Movement, Mujahideen Youth Movement, Mujahidin Youth Movement, and other names and variations—was the militant wing of the Somalia Council of Islamic Courts that took over most of southern Somalia in the second half of 2006. Although the Somali government and Ethiopian forces routed the group in a two-week war between December 2006 and January 2007, al-Shabaab has continued its violent insurgency in southern and central Somalia. The group has gained control of many parts of southern and central Somalia by using guerrilla warfare and terrorist tactics against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and its allies, African Union peacekeepers, and nongovernmental aid organizations. [read more]

Ansar al Islam [Back to Top]
Ansar al-Islam (AI) is a radical Islamist group of Iraqi Kurds and Arabs who have vowed to establish an independent Islamic state in Iraq. The group was formed in December 2001. In the fall of 2003, a statement was issued calling all jihadists in Iraq to unite under the name Ansar al-Sunnah (AS). Since that time, it is likely that AI has posted all claims of attack under the name AS. AI is closely allied with al-Qa’ida and Abu Mus‘ab al-Zarqawi’s group, Tanzim Qa’idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (QJBR) in Iraq. Some members of AI trained in al-Qa’ida camps in Afghanistan, and the group provided safe haven to al-Qa’ida fighters before Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Since OIF, AI has become one of the leading groups engaged in anti-Coalition attacks in
Iraq and has developed a robust propaganda campaign.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, Federation of American Scientists, GlobalSecurity.org, Jamestown Foundation

Ansar al-Sunnah [Back to Top]
Ansar al-Sunnah (Followers of the Tradition) is an Iraqi Jihadist group, dedicated to the establishment of an Islamic state based on Shari’ah in Iraq, which they aim to achieve by the defeat of coalition forces and foreign occupation. They believe that jihad in Iraq has become obligatory for Muslims. The group’s membership is varied, and is comprised of operatives from the Kurdish terrorist organization Ansar al-Islam, foreign al-Qaeda operatives, and Iraqi Sunnis.
Sources: Wikipedia, American Enterprise Institute, Global Security.org

Ansar-i Hizbullah [Back to Top]
Ansar-i hizbullah, the followers of the party of God, (also known as Ansar-i Hezbollah or Ansar-e Hezbollah), is a semi-official, paramilitary organization in Iran which carries out attacks on those whom it perceives to be violating the precepts of Islam, such as women wearing makeup, reformist protestors, and unmarried couples. This clandestine organization took its formal name in 1992. However, its origins date back to the street gangs of the urban poor, called "Hezbollah" (Party of God), organized by various forces in the Islamic Republic regime during the revolution of 1979. Most of the members of Ansar-i Hizbullah either belong to the Basij militia or are veterans of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) who believed that they must continue fighting for the integrity of Islam. They realize their vision through physical intimidation of those whom they view as the enemies of Ayatollah Khameini and Islam. They are known to break up demonstrations against the government, assault people in western dress, and raid shops that sell forbidden items. They have also been accused by some of politically-based assassinations.
Source: GlobalSecurity.org, Wikipedia,

AUC - United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia [Back to Top]
The AUC serves the interests of Colombian economic elites, drug traffickers, and any local communities that do not support the leftist rebels. According to the AUC, its primary objective is to protect its supporters from leftist guerillas. Clearly, however, the AUC is also keenly interested in controlling the drug trade, which is its primary source of earnings. AUC leader Carlos Castaño Gil claims that 70 percent of the AUC's operational costs are funded by drug-related sources.
Source: Wikipedia, Center for Defense Information, Federation of American Scientists, Global Security.org

Basque Fatherland & Freedom (ETA) [Back to Top]
Basque Fatherland and Freedom is a nationalist organization dedicated to a separate nation-state for the Basque people, an ethnic group inhabiting areas of northern Spain and southwestern France. There are between 2 and 2.5 million Basques in the region, many of whom speak an indigenous, non-Indo-European language called Euskara. Basque Fatherland and Freedom is usually referred to by its Euskara acronym, ETA. ETA is one of Europe’s most notorious and long-running terror groups. It was founded in 1958 from the remnants of EKIN, another radical Basque separatist group. Both EKIN and ETA were created because of discontent with the moderate nationalism of the main Basque party, the Basque National Party. Since its founding, ETA has been responsible for hundreds of attacks in Spain, France, and elsewhere. It has also maintained ties with other terrorist groups both inside the Basque region and beyond, including the Irish Republican Army and Venezuela’s Red Flag.
Source: Wikipedia, Council of Foreign Relations, Federation of American Scientists

Egyptian Islamic Jihad [Back to Top]
This Egyptian Islamic extremist group merged with Bin Laden's al-Qaeda organization in June 2001, but may retain some capability to conduct independent operations. The relationship between Jihad leader al-Zawahiri and bin Laden formally began in February 1998 when al-Jihad joined the International Front. Following the group's founding in the late 1970s, Egyptian security authorities began a ruthless crackdown on al-Jihad in the 1980s, imprisoning, torturing and executing its members. The group then split into two factions, one led by al-Zawahiri, the other by Abbud al-Zumar, who is currently imprisoned. The latter faction has since disappeared as many of its members have been jailed. But al-Zawahiri's faction, also known as the "Vanguards of Conquest" (Talaa'al al-Fateh), has thrived. In the mid-80s, al-Zawahiri moved the headquarters to Afghanistan and began recruiting Afghan Arabs. New cells of al-Jihad were trained in the mujaheddin camps of Afghanistan from which they set off on missions to Egypt. Al-Jihad militants were trained as suicide bombers (reputedly an al-Zawahiri specialty) and, for reasons of security and effectiveness, they formed into isolated cells working independent of one another.
Source: Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, Federation of American Scientists, Center for Defense information, Center for Non-Proliferation Studies, GlobalSecurity.org

East Turkestan Islamic Movement [Back to Top]
The Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is an Islamist extremist group based in China's Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region. ETIM is an ethnic Uygur separatist organization that aims to create an Islamist state in the Xinjiang province. The area commonly referred to as Turkistan is sometimes split into Western Turkistan and Eastern Turkistan. Western Turkistan was controlled by the Russian empire and then by the USSR, and so the area is also referred to as Russian Turkistan. The USSR treated this area as an autonomous region. Following the dissolution of the USSR, the region was split among five new republics, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. In contrast, Eastern Turkistan has long been a part of China and is sometimes referred to as Chinese Turkistan. Today, the region is officially referred to as the Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region.
Source: Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, Center for Defense Information, GlobalSecurity.org

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) [Back to Top]
Established in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, the FARC is Latin America’s oldest, largest, most capable, and best-equipped insurgency of Marxist origin. Although only nominally fighting 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”). Organized along military lines but 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. On December 31, 2004, FARC leader Simon Trinidad, the highest-ranking FARC leader ever captured, was extradited to the United States on drug charges.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Federation of American Scientists, GlobalSecurity.org, Council on Foreign Relations, National Counter Terrorism Center

Revolutionary Armed Forces of the People (FARP) [Back to Top]
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of the People, known by its Spanish acronym FARP, emerged in February 2000 as a splinter group of the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR). Citing political, ideological, and strategic differences, FARP is believed to have split from the EPR as early as June 1999. FARP follows its founding group’s Marxist-oriented ideology, staunching opposing the neo-liberal economic policies of the Mexican government and globalization and its link to the United States. Group members seek to establish a popular democratic republic complete with a new constitution and a more conservative economic system. One of the group’s most publicized attacks occurred when homemade incendiary devices exploded at three Banamex bank branches shortly after the bank was acquired by the U.S. company, Citigroup, in 2001. As the devices were engineered to garner media attention rather than inflict injury, only one minor injury was reported. FARP claimed responsibility by spray-painting its initials at two of the branches. The group has also launched attacks on the Mexican government and police forces and as part of the umbrella organization, the Group of Guerilla Combatants of Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon.
Source: Wikipedia

Fatah al-Islam [Back to Top]
Fatah al-Islam is a militant Sunni Islamist group said to have Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian members among its ranks. Estimates of its size vary: Reuters reports that the group began with two hundred members yet militants from other Palestinian groups have since joined. It is also reported to have ties to al-Qaeda. Based in Lebanon, the group quickly gained notoriety in May 2007 after violent clashes between its members and Lebanese security forces left dozens of people dead. Many in Lebanon view Fatah al-Islam as a fringe group with no popular backing. As Fatah al-Islam drew the Lebanese Army into a protracted conflict, these Lebanese complained that the country had been hijacked by extremists. CFR Senior Fellow Steven Simon says that while Fatah al-Islam may be a marginal organization, many people in the region sympathize with the group’s complaints about the plight of the Palestinian people.
Source: Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, GlobalSecurity.org

Gama’a al-Islamiyya [Back to Top]
The IG, Egypt’s largest militant group, has been active since the late 1970s, and is a loosely organized network. 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 Luxor attack in 1997, which killed 58 tourists and 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, including approximately 900 in 2003; likewise, most of the 700 persons released in 2004 at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan were IG members. For IG members still dedicated to violent jihad, their primary goal is to overthrow the Egyptian Government and replace it with an Islamic state. Disaffected IG members, such as those inspired by Taha Musa or Abd al-Rahman, may be interested in carrying out attacks against US interests.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Center for Defense Information, Federation of American Scientists, Center for non-Proliferation Studies

Hamas [Back to Top]
HAMAS was formed in late 1987 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Various HAMAS elements have used both violent and political means, including terrorism, to pursue the goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in Israel. It is loosely structured, with some elements working clandestinely and others operating openly through mosques and social service institutions to recruit members, raise money, organize activities, and distribute propaganda. HAMAS’ strength
is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, Federation of American Scientists, GlobalSecurity.org

Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami [Back to Top]
Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HUJI) is an Islamic extremist group, which follows the Sunni school of Deobandi. Founded in 1980, the group has shifted the focus of its attacks over the past twenty years. Initially formed in 1980 in Afghanistan, HUJI and fellow mujahidin battled Soviet forces during the Soviet-Afghan war. The Soviet Union eventually withdrew its forces in 1989. While HUJI remains dedicated to Islamic goals, it has shifted its focus from Afghanistan to the region of Jammu and Kashmir. HUJI is dedicated to the separation of the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir from India. The Jammu and Kashmir region, in its entirety, would then be annexed by Pakistan. If this were to happen, Jammu and Kashmir would be governed by an Islamic state, namely Pakistan.
Source: Federation of American Scientists, GlobalSecurity.org, Center for Defense Information, Investigative Project on Terrorism, Overseas Security Advisory Council

Harakat ul-Mujahidin [Back to Top]
Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) is an Islamist militant group based in Pakistan that operates primarily in Kashmir. It is politically aligned with the radical political party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam’s Fazlur Rehman faction (JUI-F). The long-time leader of the group, Fazlur Rehman Khalil, in mid-February 2000 stepped down as HUM emir, turning the reins over to the popular Kashmiri commander and his second-in-command, Farooqi Kashmiri. Khalil, who has been linked to Usama Bin Ladin and signed his fatwa in February 1998 calling for attacks on US and Western interests, assumed the position of HUM Secretary General. HUM operated terrorist training camps in eastern Afghanistan until Coalition air strikes destroyed them during fall 2001. Khalil was detained by the Pakistanis in mid-2004 and subsequently released in late December. In 2003, HUM began using the name Jamiat ul-Ansar (JUA), and Pakistan banned JUA in November 2003.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Federation of American Scientists, Center for Defense Information

Hezbollah [Back to Top]
Formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, this Lebanon-based radical Shia group takes its ideological inspiration from the Iranian revolution and the teachings of the late Ayatollah Khomeini. The Majlis al-Shura, or Consultative Council, is the group’s highest governing body and is led by Secretary General Hasan Nasrallah. Hezbollah is dedicated to liberating Jerusalem and eliminating Israel, and has formally advocated ultimate establishment of Islamic rule in Lebanon.
Nonetheless, Hezbollah has actively participated in Lebanon’s political system since 1992. Hezbollah is closely allied with, and often directed by, Iran but has the capability and willingness to act independently. Though Hezbollah 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.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, Center for Special Studies

Hezb-i-Islami [Back to Top]
Hizb-I Islami often operates like both a crime family and an apostle of al Qaeda. The Hezb-i-Islami (Islamic Party) was initially one of the most disciplined of the guerrilla groups that fought against Soviet occupation. Even though Hezb-i-Islami received millions of dollars worth of military and financial aid from the United States, they still failed to liberate Afghanistan from the Communists. The major Afghan political factions are largely based on the former resistance organizations. Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-i-Islami (Islamic Party) and President Burhanuddin Rabbani's Jamiat-i-Islami (Islamic Society) were bitter rivals for political influence in Afghanistan. Following the Soviet withdrawal, the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) initially supported the Hizb-i-Islami under Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar to dislodge the Rabbani government. Pakistan feared that an exclusively non-Pashtun government of President B. Rabbani would lead Afghanistan’s Pashtuns to revive the demand for Pashtunistan. Hekmatyar was friendly with Osama bin Laden when the latter was participating in the war against the Soviets. Bin Laden was linked with the Mujahedin group of Professor Rasul Sayyaf, who allegedly was a Wahhabi. The groups led by Hekmatyar and by Sayyaf had little in common, but their two leaders were allegedly close to a blind Egyptian cleric -- Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman - who was imprisoned in 1995 for his part in a conspiracy to destroy several New York City landmarks.
Sources: GlobalSecurity.org, Wikipedia, Federation of American Scientists

Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami [Back to Top]
Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami (Islamic Party of Liberation) a radical Islamic political movement that seeks 'implementation of pure Islamic doctrine' and the creation of an Islamic caliphate in Central Asia. The group's aim is to resume the Islamic way of life and to convey the Islamic da’wah to the world. The ultimate goal of this secretive sectarian group is to unite the entire ummah, or Islamic world community, into a single caliphate. The aim is to bring the Muslims back to living an Islamic way of life in 'Dar al-Islam' [the land where the rules of Islam are being implemented, as opposed to the non-Islamic world] and in an Islamic society such that all life's affairs in society are administered according to the Shariah rules. The group has never been overtly involved in any violent actions, and Hizb ut-Tahrir has long claimed it wants to achieve its objectives through nonviolent means. It has so far not been involved in any known terrorist activities. One of the most secretive fundamentalist Islamic organizations, it remains a radical organization. Hizb ut-Tahrir is not against violence as such. It is just against the use of violence now. But they still think jihad [holy war] is a positive concept.
Source: Wikipedia GlobalSecurity.org

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (Qods) [Back to Top]
While the Constitution of Iran entrusts the military with guarding Iran's territorial integrity and political independence, it gives the Revolutionary Guard [Pasdaran] the responsibility of guarding the Revolution itself. Established under a decree issued by Khomeini on May 5, 1979, the Pasdaran was intended to guard the Revolution and to assist the ruling clerics in the day-to-day enforcement of the government's Islamic codes and morality. The Revolution also needed to rely on a force of its own rather than borrowing the previous regime's tainted units. By 1986, the Pasdaran consisted of 350,000 personnel organized in battalion-size units that operated either independently or with units of the regular armed forces. In 1986 the Pasdaran acquired small naval and air elements. By 1996 the ground and naval forces were reported to number 100,000 and 20,000, respectively.
Source: GlobalSecurity.org, Council on Foreign Relations, Federation of American Scientists

Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI) [Back to Top]
The Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI) is a significant Iraqi terrorist entity, which is currently in operation. The group has initiated a brutally violent campaign against foreigners within Iraq, specifically anyone believed to be cooperating with the U.S.-led coalition. IAI has been implicated in several gruesome beheading deaths. The terrorist group aims to drive all U.S. and its related coalition forces, both military and civilian, from Iraq. But IAI does not limit its attacks to just these groups; it has also murdered French journalists, Pakistani contractors, an Italian journalist, and Macedonian citizens working for a U.S. company.
Source: Wikipedia, Jamestown Foundation

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan [Back to Top]
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) is a group of Islamic militants from Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states. The IMU is closely affiliated with al-Qa’ida and, under the leadership of Tohir Yoldashev, has embraced Usama Bin Ladin’s anti-US, anti-Western agenda. The IMU also remains committed to its original goals of overthrowing Uzbekistani President Karimov and establishing an Islamic state in Uzbekistan.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Center for Non-Proliferation Studies, GlobalSecurity.org, Digital Freedom Network

Jaish-e-Muhammad [Back to Top]
The Jaish-e-Mohammed is an Islamic extremist group based in Pakistan that was formed in early 2000 by Masood Azhar upon his release from prison in India. The group’s aim is to unite Kashmir with Pakistan. It is politically aligned with the radical political party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam’s Fazlur Rehman faction (JUI-F). 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 in August 2004 from Pakistani custody after being detained for suspected involvement in the December 2003 assassination attempts against President Musharraf. Pakistan banned KUI and JUF in November 2003. Elements of JEM and Lashkar e-Tayyiba combined with other groups to mount attacks as “The Save Kashmir Movement.”
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations

Jamaat ul-Fuqra [Back to Top]
Al-Fuqra, or Jamaat al-Fuqra, is a shadowy Muslim religious cult with bases in North America and ties to Pakistan. The group was founded in 1980 by Pakistani cleric Sheikh Mubarak Ali Jilani Hashemi. Even though Jilani lives in Lahore, Pakistan, he established al-Fuqra on a trip to the United States as a means for participants to reject the ills of modern society and strive to live in a pure Islamic community. Translated, Jamaat al-Fuqra, means “community of the impoverished”. Since the early 1980s, members have been linked to numerous small attacks, including bombings, murders, and hate crimes in several regions of the United States. The organization is reported to have more than 1,000 members living in closed compounds in rural areas of New York, California, South Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, and Canada. It is suspected that their headquarters is located in Hancock, New York. Membership is primarily composed of African-American Muslim converts. Al-Fuqra members are known for reclusive behavior and secrecy—including the use of forged identities for travel abroad to Pakistan for religious and terrorist training. In fact, aspects of the group’s behavior, particularly the use of remote compounds and extensive weapons training, is similar.
Source: Wikipedia, Institute for Conflict Management, Federation of American Scientists, GlobalSecurity.org, Center for Policing Terrorism

Jamatul Mujahedin Bangladesh [Back to Top]
Jamatul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB) is a terrorist group dedicated to removing the country’s secular government and imposing a Taliban inspired Islamic theocracy in its place. In addition to calling for an Islamic state based on Sharia law, JMB has denounced the American led invasion of Iraq, warning President Bush and British Prime Minister Blair to leave all Muslim countries. While JMB’s exact origins are unknown, it is thought to have formed in the late 1990s to protest the Bangladeshi government’s secular orientation. JMB perpetrated its first small scale attacks in 2002 and 2003. The group’s full time membership has swelled to around 10,000, while part time supporters figure up to another 100,000.
Source: Institute for Conflict Management

Janjaweed [Back to Top]
The Janjaweed is a blanket term used to describe mostly armed gunmen in Darfur, western Sudan. Using the United Nations definition, the Janjaweed comprises fighters claiming Arab-speaking black African background, the core of which are from an Abbala (camel herder) background with significant recruitment from the Baggara (cattle herder) people. Since 2003 it has been one of the principal actors in the Darfur conflict, which has pitted the nomadic Arab-identifying Muslim Sudanese against the sedentary non-Arab Muslim Sudanese population of the region in a battle over resource and land allocation.
Source: Wikipedia

Jemaah Islamiya [Back to Top]
Jemaah Islamiya Organization is responsible for numerous high-profile bombings, including the bombing of the J. W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta on August 5, 2003, and the Bali bombings on October 12, 2002. Members of the group have also been implicated in the September 9, 2004, attack outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. The Bali attack, which left more than 200 dead, was reportedly the final outcome of meetings in early 2002 in Thailand, where attacks in Singapore and against soft targets
such as tourist spots were also considered. In June 2003, authorities disrupted a JI plan to attack several Western embassies and tourist sites in Thailand. In December 2001, Singaporean authorities uncovered a JI plot to attack the US and Israeli Embassies and British and Australian diplomatic buildings in Singapore. JI is also responsible for the coordinated bombings of numerousChristian churches in Indonesia on Christmas Eve 2000 and was involved in the bombings of several targets in Manila on December 31, 2000. The capture in August 2003 of Indonesian Riduan bin Isomoddin (a.k.a. Hambali), JI leader and al-Qa’ida Southeast Asia operations chief, damaged the JI, but the group maintains its ability to target Western interests in the region and to recruit new members through a network of radical Islamic schools based primarily in Indonesia. The emir, or spiritual leader, of JI, Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, was on trial at year’s end on charges of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, and for his links to the Bali and Jakarta Marriott bombings and to a cache of arms and explosives found in central Java.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, GlobalSecurity.org, Center for Defense Information, National Counter Terrorism Center

Jundallah [Back to Top]
Little is known about the Jund Allah Organization for the Sunni Mujahideen in Iran. The group first appeared in June 2005, when it kidnapped a suspected Iranian intelligence official, Shehab Mansuri. After a three-week ransom period, the group submitted a videotape showing the execution of Mansuri. Al-Arabiya television played portions of the tape, and Iranian officials confirmed the killing, though they denied that Mansuri was an intelligence officer. Jund Allah's name indicates that they are members of Iran's oppressed Sunni minority. The dubious imprisonment of Sunnis is common in Iran—thus, it is possible that the group "members" imprisoned were held on charges other than terrorism.
Source: Wikipedia

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) [Back to Top]
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK, Kongra-Gel) was founded by Abdullah Ocalan in 1974 as a Marxist-Leninist separatist organization and formally named the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in 1978. The group, composed primarily of Turkish Kurds, began its campaign of armed violence in 1984, which has resulted in some 30,000 casualties. The PKK’s goal has been to establish
an independent, democratic Kurdish state in southeast Turkey, northern Iraq, and parts of Iran and Syria. In the early 1990s, the PKK moved beyond rural-based insurgent activities to include urban terrorism. Turkish authorities captured Ocalan in Kenya in early 1999, and the Turkish State Security Court subsequently sentenced him to death. In August 1999, Ocalan announced a
“peace initiative,” ordering members to refrain from violence and requesting dialogue with Ankara on Kurdish issues. At a PKK Congress in January 2000, members supported Ocalan’s initiative and claimed the group now would use only political means to achieve its public goal of improved rights for Kurds in Turkey. In April 2002 at its 8th Party Congress, the PKK changed its name to the Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) and proclaimed a commitment to non-violent activities in support of Kurdish rights. In late 2003, the group sought to engineer another political face-lift, renaming itself Kongra-Gel (KGK) and promoting its “peaceful” intentions while continuing to conduct attacks in “self-defense” and to refuse disarmament. After five years, the group’s hardline militant wing, the People’s Defense Force (HPG), renounced its self-imposed cease-fire on June 1, 2004. Over the course of the cease-fire, the group had divided into two factions – politically-minded reformists, and hardliners who advocated a return to violence. The hardliners took control of the group in February 2004.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Federation of American Scientists, Council on Foreign Relations, Brookings Institution

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi [Back to Top]
Lashkar i Jhangvi (LJ) is the militant offshoot of the Sunni 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 Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Institute of Conflict Management, Jamestown Foundation, Council on Foreign Relations

Lashkar-e-Tayyiba [Back to Top]
LT is the armed wing of the Pakistan-based religious organization, Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad (MDI), an anti-US Sunni missionary organization formed in 1989. LT is led by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and is one of the three largest and best trained groups fighting in Kashmir against India. It is not connected to any political party. The Pakistani Government banned the group and froze its assets in January 2002. Elements of LT and Jaish-e-Mohammed combined with other groups to mount attacks as “The Save Kashmir Movement.”
Sources: US State Dept., Federation of American Scientists, GlobalSecurity.org, Overseas Security Advisory Council, Center for Defense Information

Liberation of Tigers of Tamil Eelam [Back to Top]
Founded in 1976, the LTTE is the most powerful Tamil group in Sri Lanka. 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. The LTTE is allegedly observing a cease-fire agreement with the Sri Lankan Government.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, Federation of American Scientists, Global Security.org, Institute for Conflict Management

Libyan Islamic Fighting Group [Back to Top]
The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) emerged in the early 1990s among Libyans who had fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan and against the Qadhafi regime in Libya. The LIFG declared the Government of Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi un-Islamic and pledged to overthrow it. Some members maintain a strictly anti-Qadhafi focus and organize against Libyan Government interests, but others are aligned with Usama Bin Ladin and believed to be part of al-Qa’ida’s leadership structure or active in the international terrorist network.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Center for Defense Information, Federation of American Scientists, GlobalSecurity.org, Jamestown Foundation

Los Zetas  [Back to Top]
Los Zetas were originally ex-Army special forces trained in locating and apprehending drug cartel members. The founding 31 members of Los Zetas were trained in small-group tactics, mission planning, aerial assaults and sophisticated communications methods at army bases throughout the world. Though it is widely rumored that these soldiers were originally trained at the military School of the Americas in the United States, no such evidence to support such a claim has been discovered. It is believed by Mexican Law Enforcement that the original members are rogue GAFE (Airborne Special Forces Groups) soldiers. Zeta training locations have been identified as containing the same items and setup as GAFE training facilities, it is also further believed the group employs the same internal organizational structure. Current estimates place Los Zetas around 200 members strong. The name "Zeta" comes from the Federal Preventive Police radio code for high-ranking officers. The Zetas are unique among drug enforcer gangs in that they operate as a private army under the orders of the Gulf Cartel.
Sources: Wikipedia, Answers.com

Mara Salvatruchas or MS-13 [Back to Top]
Mara Salvatruchas (MS or MS-13) is a violent criminal group founded by El Salvadoran immigrants in Los Angeles in 1980. For most of its history the group has functioned like a street gang—engaging in deadly spats with rival gangs, participating in petty crime and narcotics dealing, and maintaining local turf both in major cities and in prisons. The gang’s original purpose was to protect El Salvadorans from other Los Angeles gangs. Though its roots may be in the Salvadoran community, Mara Salvatruchas has expanded to include members from other Central American countries. In addition to changing its composition, the gang may also be expanding its tactics. Some of its more recent actions fit the profile of terrorism rather than traditional gang activity.
Source: Wikipedia, KnowGangs.com, InsidePrison.com

Mahdi Army [Back to Top]
The Mahdi Amy is an Iraqi insurgent group. In addition to acts of terrorism, the group has also engaged in fierce battles with US, British and Iraqi troops, the heaviest of which occurred in April 2004. The Mahdi Army is comprised of the armed followers of Moqtada al-Sadr, an Iraqi Shi’ite leader. There are no precise figures for the strength of the group, but estimates approximate the number of fighters at a few thousand. Al-Sadr and his followers opposed Saddam Hussein but now concentrate on fighting the American-led coalition in Iraq, which they view as a foreign occupation. Al-Sadr’s group also opposed the interim Iraqi government led by Ayad Allawi.
Source: Wikipedia, GlobalSecurity.org

Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta [Back to Top]
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is an active terrorist group that uses violent means to support the rights of the ethnic Ijaw people in the Niger Delta. In contrast to the healthy profit margins enjoyed by foreign oil companies operating in Nigeria, most Nigerians in the Delta region live in poverty, and many feel that they are being neglected by the government. These conditions have led to the proliferation of local terrorist groups, which at last count, numbered around 120. Of these organizations, MEND is one of the largest, and it works closely with other militant groups, coordinating and conducting joint operations. Notably, MEND has joined forces with the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF), the Coalition for Militant Action in the Niger Delta, and the Martyrs Brigade to form the strongest anti-foreign oil terrorist alliance in the region.
Source: Wikipedia

Moro Islamic Liberation Front [Back to Top]
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is a splinter of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Following a failed 1977 accord between MNLF and the Philippine government, MNLF's second-in-command broke away from the group. Hashim Salamat then created the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. MILF did not stray far from the philosophical foundations of their founding group. Publicly, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front demanded a fully independent Muslim state in the southern Philippines. Purportedly in advance of this goal, MILF continued their terrorist attacks throughout the 1980s and 1990s. However by the late 1990s, the MILF had begun negotiations for simply an autonomous Muslim region. By 1997, MILF had begun negotiations with the Philippine government. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Philippine president Gloria Arroyo signed a peace agreement in June 2001.
Source: Federation of American Scientists, Wikipedia, GlobalSecurity.org, Center for Defense Information

National Liberation Army [Back to Top]
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 May 2004, Colombian President Uribe proposed a renewal of peace talks, but by the end of the year talks had not commenced.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Center for Defense Information, Federation of American Scientists

Ogaden National Liberation Front [Back to Top]
Founded in 1984, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) is an active insurgent group in eastern Ethiopia that seeks to establish an independent state for the Somali people in the Ogaden region of the Horn of Africa. Its members are largely drawn from the Ogaden and Darood ethnic groups, whose traditional lands stretch from eastern Ethiopia to central Somalia. The ONLF accuses the Ethiopian government of widespread human rights abuses in the Ogaden, including illegally confiscating private property, interfering with relief work, and wrongfully expropriating international aid destined for the region. As such, they counter government influence in the region by staging ambushes and guerrilla-style raids on government forces. The ONLF is also known to kidnap foreign workers thought to be agents of the Ethiopian government or supporters of the regime in Addis Ababa. In the late 1980s, the ONLF grew to be the most dangerous insurgent group in Ethiopia, and it is widely believed that the group is directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of government troops. The abundance of religious and clan-affiliated regional terrorist groups makes it difficult to substantiate claims of responsibility for terror attacks committed in the area.
Source: Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations

Palestinian Islamic Jihad [Back to Top]
Formed by militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the 1970s, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is committed to the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state and the destruction of Israel through attacks against Israeli military and civilian targets inside Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Center for Defense Information

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine [Back to Top]
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, including airline hijackings, that have killed at least 20 US citizens.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Center for Defense Information, Federation of American Scientists, GlobalSecurity.org

Rajah Solaiman Movement [Back to Top]
The Rajah Solaiman Movement is a terrorist organization founded by Ahmed Santos after he converted to Islam. Its membership consists of Filipino Christians who have converted to Islam and it is now one of the top worries for Philippines' intelligence services. According to Filipino authorities, the group's members have been trained, financed and directed by Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiah, a regional terrorist group with links to Al Qaeda. The group is named after Rajah Solaiman, the last king of Manila before the Spanish conquest in the 1500s, which introduced Catholicism along with European rule. Similar to Abu Sayyaf, the converts belonging to this group claim they want to remake the country into an Islamic state.
Sources: Wikipedia, Jamestown Foundation

Salafist Group for Call & Combat [Back to Top]
The Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC), a splinter group of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), seeks to overthrow the Algerian Government with the goal of installing an Islamic regime. GSPC eclipsed the GIA in approximately 1998, and is currently the most effective and largest armed group inside Algeria. In contrast to the GIA, the GSPC pledged to avoid civilian attacks inside Algeria.
Sources: US State Dept., Federation of American Scientists, Center for Defense Information, Jamestown Foundation

Shining Path [Back to Top]
Former university professor Abimael Guzman formed SL in Peru in the late 1960s, and his teachings created the foundation of SL’s militant Maoist doctrine. In the 1980s, SL became one of the most ruthless terrorist groups in the Western Hemisphere. Approximately 30,000 persons have died since Shining Path took up arms in 1980. The Peruvian Government made dramatic gains against SL during the 1990s, but reports of recent SL involvement in narco-trafficking and kidnapping for ransom indicate it may be developing new sources of support. Its stated goal is to destroy existing Peruvian institutions and replace them with a communist peasant revolutionary regime. It also opposes any influence by foreign governments. Peruvian Courts in 2003 granted approximately 1,900 members the right to request retrials in a civilian court, including the imprisoned top leadership. The trial of Guzman, who was arrested in 1992, was scheduled for November 5, 2004, but was postponed after the first day, when chaos erupted in the courtroom.
Sources: US State Dept., Wikipedia, Council on Foreign Relations, Federation of American Scientists, GlobalSecurity.org

Shura-e-Ittehadul Mujahedeen [Back to Top]
Shura-e-Ittehadul Mujahedeen (Council of United Holy Warriors) is the cooperative of the three major Pakistani Taliban organizations led by Baitullah Mehsud and two rival Taliban chiefs, Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Maulvi Nazeer, who met at an undisclosed location recently and settled their differences to unite against US and Pakistani government operations in the region. US counterterrorism officials confirmed the account. The unification appears, in part, to reflect US success in killing al Qaeda and other militant leaders in Pakistan with attacks by unmanned aircraft. The new Taliban alliance announced allegiance to Afghan Taliban chieftain Mullah Mohammed Omar as their "supreme leader" in the fight against US-led forces, the Afghan official said. Afghan Taliban commander Sirajuddin Haqqani, whose organization has mounted numerous attacks on US and allied security forces, apparently influenced the Pakistani Taliban to unite in response to stepped-up US attacks on Taliban and al Qaeda militants in Pakistan.

Sipah-e-Sahaba [Back to Top]
Sipah-e-Sahaba/Pakistan (SSP) is a religiously-motivated terrorist organization operating in Pakistan. SSP, a Sunni sectarian group, believes that Pakistan’s Shia population possesses too much power and influence and that Pakistan should be governed as a Sunni state. Shias make up approximately 20% of Pakistan’s population. Conversely, Pakistan’s Sunni population is equal to 80% of the country’s overall populace. In the mid-1980s, SSP broke off from Jamiatul Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Pakistan’s main Sunni organization in the Deobandi school. SSP was formed in response to Shia militant groups who were targeting Sunnis in Pakistan’s Punjab region. The increased extremism of the Shia militant groups was connected to the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Source: Wikipedia, Institute for Conflict Management, Jamestown Foundation, Federation of American Scientists, Center for Policing Terrorism

Students Islamic Movement of India [Back to Top]
SIMI was founded on April 25, 1977 at the Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh, as a radical student outfit with a mission to revive Islam in India and transform the entire country into an Islamic state. SIMI's founding president was Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqi, currently a professor of journalism and public relations at the Univeristy of Western Illinois. The group's three core ideological concepts were: Ummah, Caliphate and Jihad. SIMI's ideological inspirations were Muslim thinkers who had launched major Islamic movements in the subcontinent, in particular Shah Waliullah, Sayyid Ahmad, Haji Shariat Allah and the legendary Maulana Maududi, the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami. Specifically, SIMI was deeply inspired by Maududi's goal to make Islam the supreme organizing principle for the social and political life of the Muslim community. In its annual report, SIMI reiterated these tenets, urging Muslim youths to struggle for the revival of Islam in the light of the Quran and Sunnah. In fact, the Maududi influence was so deep-rooted that in the early years of SIMI's existence the organization was dominated by the Indian wing of JI, called Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. In due course, SIMI emerged as a coalition of student and youth Islamic bodies, namely the Muslim Students Association, Students Islamic Union, Students Islamic Organization and Muslim Youth Association. SIMI's pro-Taliban stance in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, anti-U.S. demonstrations in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan and the glorification of Osama bin Laden as the "ultimate jihadi" prompted the Indian government to impose a ban. Since the ban, some reports suggest that SIMI has been operating under the banner of Tahreek Ihya-e-Ummat or Movement for the Revival of the Ummah.
Source: Jamestown Foundation, Wikipedia, South Asia Terrorism Portal, Council of Foreign Relations

Tablighi Jamaat [Back to Top]
With origins in Pakistan, Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) is a nominally apolitical and nonviolent group comprised of traveling Islamic missionaries. It is not a terrorist group, but worthy of study and concern nevertheless. Growing out of the Deobandi school of Islam, TJ stresses traditional Islamic practices linked to worship, dress and behavior as a path to personal improvement. Thus, it easily attracts troubled, impressionable young men and instills them with extreme religious conviction. While the Tablighi Jamaat is nonviolent, the zealotry of its recruits has proven easy for violent organizations to manipulate. Its missionary work, moreover, demands TJ members to travel throughout the world, including between Pakistan and many Western countries (some terrorist have used it as a cover to travel). The group assembles radical recruits and deposits them in places where they can be gathered by terrorist organizations. Some of these recruits have fought in jihadist wars; others have returned to the United States with violent intentions. In spite of the criminal conduct of some of its adherents, Tablighi Jamaat itself remains a legal organization.
Source: Wikipedia, Center for Policing Terrorism

Taliban [Back to Top]
The Taliban is an infamous organization, having ruled Afghanistan under strict Islamic rule for five years, between 1996 and 2001. The Taliban is also notorious for harboring the international terrorist Usama bin Laden during its rule of Afghanistan. Today, the Taliban has been ousted from power but has re-surfaced as a non-state terrorist entity within Afghanistan. The Taliban first emerged as a significant force in 1994. The group was principally comprised of Afghanistan’s ethnic Pashtun tribesmen, who had found refuge in Pakistan. The refugees studied in Pakistan’s madrassas (religious schools) and received assistance from Pakistan, specifically from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The Taliban’s membership also included Mujahideen veterans who had fought the Soviet Union in the 1980s.
Source: Wikipedia, Institute for Conflict Management, Federation of American Scientists

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) [Back to Top]
A shura of 40 senior Taliban leaders established the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as an umbrella organization. Militant commander Baitullah Mehsud was appointed as its amir, Maulana Hafiz Gul Bahadur of North Waziristan as senior naib amir (deputy) and Maulana Faqir Muhammad of Bajaur Agency as the third in command. The shura not only has representation from all of FATA’s seven tribal agencies, but also from the settled North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) districts of Swat, Bannu, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohistan, Buner and Malakand. This reach demonstrates the TTP’s ambitions. Since its establishment, the TTP through its various demarches have announced the following objectives and principles: 1) Enforce Shari`a, unite against NATO forces in Afghanistan and perform “defensive jihad against the Pakistan army.”; 2) React strongly if military operations are not stopped in Swat District and North Waziristan Agency; 3) Demand the abolishment of all military checkpoints in the FATA area; 4) Demand the release of Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) Imam Abdul Aziz; 5) Refuse future peace deals with the government of Pakistan.
Sources: Belfer Center, Council on Foreign Relations

Union of Islamic Courts [Back to Top]
The Islamic Courts Union (ICU, Somali: Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga) are a group of Sharia Courts who banded together to form a rival administration to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, with Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as head of the ICU. They are also known as the Joint Islamic Courts, Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) or the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts (SCIC) and Western media often refer to the group as the Somali Islamists. Until recently, they controlled most of Somalia and the vast majority of its population, including most major cities such as Jowhar, Kismayo, Beledweyne, and the capital Mogadishu. Only the arid Northern regions (Puntland, Somaliland), and the furthest interior regions of the south were outside their control. In December 2006, the ICU lost much territory after defeats at the battles of Baidoa, Bandiradley, and Beledweyne, retreating to the capital, Mogadishu. On December 28 they abandoned Mogadishu, leaving the city in chaos while they moved south towards Kismayo, which allowed the TFG and Ethiopian troops to take over the city. After a stand at the Battle of Jilib, the ICU abandoned the city of Kismayo on January 1, 2007. Stripped of almost all their territory, it is speculated the ICU will pursue guerrilla-style warfare against the government.
Source: Wikipedia, Jamestown Foundation, GlobalSecurity.org

United Liberation Front of Assam [Back to Top]
The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) is a terrorist organization operating in India’s Assam region. The group was formed on April 7, 1979 and remains active to this date. ULFA was formed with the dual goal of establishing Assam as a separate country, independent of India, while also establishing a socialist government to rule the “Assam country.” Over two decades after ULFA’s founding, Assam has neither broken away from India nor established a socialist government. This is not to say that ULFA has had no effect on the region in the last two decades.
Source: Wikipedia, Institute for Conflict Management, GlobalSecurity.org