WRLD STATESMEN.org

Note on Terror Groups: There exist many different definitions of terrorism, but terrorism most commonly includes these elements: Use of unlawful violence or the threat of unlawful violence; Targeting civilians; Non-state actor; Absence of a state of war (specifically conventional warfare), thus excluding war crimes; Designed to coerce, frighten, or "send a message" to the public or a government (thus excluding organized crime performed for personal gain). The organizations listed on this page have verifiably used or attempted to use terrorist tactics, by the above criteria. Self-identification as a "terrorist" group is not required. This page does not condone, support or endorse violence or any of these groups which are listed below.  Groups are listed regardless of political or religious orientations. This page is intended purely for study and research purposes. 

1979                       15 May Organization established from remnants of Wadi Haddad's
                             Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-Special 
                             Operations Group. 
1980                       Bombs a Hotel in London.
1981                       Bombs El Al offices in Rome and Istanbul.
1984                       Disbands.

Leader
1979 - 1984                Muhammad al-Umari ("Abu Ibrahim") 
                            "the Bomb man"

Locations:                 Iraq, Middle East, Europe
Strength:                  50-60

1974                       The Abu Nidal Organization (ANO)(Fatah Revolutionary
                             Council, Arab Revolutionary Brigades, Black September, and 
                             Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims) split from PLO.
                             Targets included the United States, the United Kingdom, France,
                             Israel, moderate Palestinians, the PLO, and various Arab 
                             countries. Carried out terrorist attacks in 20 countries, 
                             killing or injuring almost 900 persons.
11 Oct 1976                Attacks on Syrian embassies in Islamabad, Pakistan and Rome, Italy 
 3 Jun 1982                Attempted assassination of Shlomo Argov, Israeli ambassador to
                             the United Kingdom. The attack will trigger the war Israel waged 
                             in Lebanon against the PLO presence. 
27 Nov 1984                Assassination of the British High Commissioner in Bombay, India. 
23 Nov 1985                Hijacking of an Egyptian plane to Malta, where sixty-six people
                             were killed during a rescue attempt by the Egyptian forces. 
27 Dec 1985                Major attacks on Rome and Vienna airports, killing sixteen and 
                             wounding scores. 
Sep 1986                   Attempted hijacking  of Pan-Am flight 73 at Karachi 
                             airport (22 persons killed). 
Jan 1991                   Suspected of assassinating PLO deputy chief Abu Iyad and PLO
                             security chief Abu Hul in Tunis.
Dec 1998                   Its leader, Sabri Al-Banna, relocated to Iraq. 
1999                       Authorities shut down the ANO's operations in Libya and Egypt.
14 Jan 2000                Austrian police arrest Halima Nimer (f).
16 Aug 2002                Abu Nidal dies or is assassinated in Baghdad.

Leader
1974 - 16 Aug 2002         Sabri al-Banna "Abu Nidal"             (b. 1937 - d. 2002)
                            "Amin al-Sirr",  "Sabri Khalil Abd Al Qadir"

Locations:                 Iraq, Lebanon, Libya
Strength:                  A few hundred plus limited overseas support structure.

1991                       Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) or simply Abu Sayyaf, also known as Al
                             Harakat Al Islamiyya, split from the Moro National Liberation
                             Front, to promote an independent Islamic state in western
                             Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago of the southern Philippines.
Apr 1995                   Raid on the town of Ipil.
27 Dec 1995                Militants kidnap 16 vacationers at Lake Sebu, Mindanao.
 3 Jan 1999                In Jolo, Philippines a grenade was lobbed into a crowd that had
                             gathered to watch firefighters put out a blaze in a neighborhood
                             supermarket. 10 people were killed, and at least 74 injured.
20 Mar 2000                53 hostages -including 22 school children and 5 teachers, and a 
                             priest were seized from two schools in Basilan, after Abu Sayyaf 
                             failed in an attempt to take an army outpost. The rebels
                             subsequently released 20 hostages in exchange for food.
22 Apr 2002                Three bombs went off in public places in the southern Philippines
                             city of General Santos killing 15 people and injuring more 
                             than 70.
23 Apr 2000                21 hostages were kidnapped from a Sipadan Island, Malaysia diving
                             resort by Abu Sayyaf. The hostages include three Germans, two
                             French, two South Africans, two Finns, one Lebanese and a 
                             Filipino working at the Sipadan Island Resort and
                             9 Malaysians working on the island were also seized.
20 Aug 2002                A group of Jehovah's witness Christian sect who worked as 
                             door-to-door salespeople were kidnapped by suspected Muslim
                             rebels on the Philippine island of Jolo. The group of three 
                             men and five women were working for a cosmetics company when
                             they were abducted in the town of Patikul.

Leaders
1991 - 18 Dec 1998         Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani       (b. 1959? - d. 1998)
Dec 1998 - Sep? 2006       Khadafi Janjalani                  (b. 1975 - d. 2006)
Jan 2007 - Jun 2007        Radullan Sahiron (Commander Putol) (b. c.1952)
                             (interim)
Jun 2007 -                 Yasser Igasan                      (b. c.1960)

Location:                  Philippines 
Strength:                  200 core fighters and more than 2,000 supporters.

1977                       Action Directe (AD) founded as anti-NATO, based in France.
 1 May 1979                First attack, AD machine guns the building of the CNPF (now 
                             Medef) French employers federation.
1984                       AD banned by France.
17 Nov 1986                AD kills Georges Besse, Chairman of Renault car company.
 8 Aug 1985                AD and Red Army Faction (RAF) claim joint responsibility for bomb 
                             blast at U.S. air base in Frankfurt, Germany that kills 2.
15 Jan 1986                Communiqué by AD and RAF states they will work together to attack
                             NATO targets.
21 Feb 1987                Remaining members arrested in Vitry-aux-Loges, France near Orléans;
                             organization becomes defunct.
 

Leaders
1977 - 21 Feb 1987         Jean-Marc Rouillan (founder)
                           + Nathalie Ménigon (f)
                           + Joëlle Aubron (f)                   (b. 1960? - d. 2006)
                           + Régis Schleicher (arrested 1984)
                           + Georges Cipriani

Location:                  France, West Germany, Belgium
Strength:                  5 main members

 2 Mar 2002               Attack on Beit Yisrael, Jerusalem- 11 killed.
 5 Jan 2003               Attack on Southern Tel Aviv central bus station- 22 killed.
18 Dec 2003               Fatah decided to ask the leaders of the Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades
                            to join the Fatah Council, recognizing it officially as part
                            of the organization.
Dec 2003                  Assassinated the brother of Ghassan Shakaa, the mayor of Nablus.
29 Jan 2004               Attack on Rehavia, Jerusalem, bus line 19- 11 are killed.
14 Mar 2004               Port of Ashdod attack (together with Hamas)- 10 are killed. 
Jul 2004                  Riots in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian officers are kidnapped 
                            and PA security headquarters buildings and policemen were 
                            attack by armed gunmen.
11 Nov 2004               Announced that they will sign their attacks in the name "Brigades
                            of Shahid Yasser Arafat."
16 Oct 2005               Claimed responsibility for a shooting attack at the Gush Etzion
                            junction, killing three Israelis and wounding three others.
30 Jan 2006               European Union's Gaza offices were raided by 15 masked gunmen. 
                            They demanded apologies from Denmark & Norway regarding the 
                            "Jyllands-Posten" Muhammad cartoons.
 

High Commander
2002 -                     Marwan Barghouti                   (b. 1959)
                            (imprisoned by Israel 15 Apr 2002)

Location:                  Gaza Strip, West Bank, Israel.
Strength:                  .... members, unknown amount of external aid.

1984                      Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB) formed in the Philippines, emerging
                            as the breakaway urban 'hit squad' of the Communist Party of the
                            Philippines New People's Army.
1989                      Believed to have been involved in the murder of U.S. Army Colonel
                            James Rowe.
Mar 1997                  ABB announced that it had formed an alliance with the Revolutionary
                            Proletarian Army (RPA) of Arturo Tabara.
 2 Dec 1997               Claimed credit for rifle grenade attack against Shell Oil Co. 
                            headquarters in Manila.

Leaders
1984 - 1997                Filemon "Ka Popoy" Lagman           (b. 1953 - d. 2001)
1997 -                     Nilo de la Cruz

Location:                  Manila, Philippines
Strength:                  500 members, unknown amount of external aid.

 1 Sep 2001                Ansar Al-Islam ("Supporters of Islam") founded by merger
                             of two radical Kurdish Muslim sects (Jund al-Islam and Islamic
                             Movement splinter group).
Sep 2001                   Ambushed and kills 42 PUK fighters.
Feb 2002                   Assassinated Franso Haririr, Christian Kurdish politician.
Spring 2002                Attempted assassination of Barham Salih, PUK leader.
Jun 2002                   Bombed a Kurdish restaurant.
Jul 2002                   Killed 9 PUK fighters and destroys Sufi shrines.
Oct 2002                   Murdered U.S. Agency for International Development officer 
                             Laurence Foley in Amman, Jordan.
Dec 2002                   Attacked PUK, killing 103 fighters and wounding 117.
 1 Apr 2003                U.S. and Kurdish forces destroy bases and force Ansar
                             to flee Iraq.

Leaders
Sep 2001 - 200.           Abu Abdullah Shafae (Warya Holery)
                            (1s time)
200. - 2003               Mullah Krekar                       (b. 1956)
                            (Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad)
                            (from 2003, under arrest in Norway)
2003 -                    Abu Abdullah Shafae (Warya Holery)
                            (2nd time)

Locations:                 Formerly in northern Iraq pocket around Biyarah and Halabja.
Strength:                  500-700 (est. Jan 2003)

Dec 1991                   Algeria voids the election victory of the Islamic Salvation Front.
1992                       Armed Islamic Group (GIA, from French Groupe Islamique Armé; Arabic
                             al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah al-Musallah) begins attacks to overthrow 
                             the secular Algerian government and replace it with an 
                             Islamic state.
Sep 1993                   Announces terrorist campaign against foreigners living in Algeria.
26 Aug 1994                Declared a "Caliphate", or Islamic government for Algeria, with
                             Gousmi as Commander of the Faithful, Mohammed Said as head 
                             of government.
Dec 1994                   Hijacked Air France flight to Algiers. 
 1 Aug 1996                GIA suspected in killing of French Archbishop of Oran.
1998                       The GSPC splinter faction appears to have eclipsed the GIA.

Leaders
1992 - Sep 1992            Allel Mohamed "Moh Leveilley"           (d. 1992)
1992 - Nov 1992            "Tayyeb El-Afghani"                     (d. 1992)
Jan 1993 - 1993/94         Abdelhak Layada
1993/94 - 26 Feb 1994      Mourad Si Ahmed "Djaffar al-Afghani"    (d. 1994)
1994 - Mar 1994            Abou Khalil Mahfoudh (acting)
Mar 1994 - 26 Aug 1994     Cherif Gousmi "Abou-Abdellah"           (d. 1994)
Emirs
26 Aug 1994 - Sep 1994     Cherif Gousmi "Abou-Abdellah"           (s.a.)
Sep 1994 - 16 Jul 1996     Djamel Zitouni "Abou Abderrahmane Amine"(b. 1964 - d. 1996)
1996 -  8 Feb 2002         Antar Zouabri "Abou Rahana"             (b. 1970 - d. 2002)
2002 -                     Rachid Abou Tourab

Location:                  Algeria
Strength:                  Unknown, probably several hundred to several thousand.

1975                        Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) (a.k.a.
                              the Orly Group, 3rd October Organization) formed as a Marxist-
                              Leninist grouped to compel the Turkish Government to
                              acknowledge publicly its alleged responsibility for the deaths 
                              of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915, pay reparations, and cede
                              territory for an Armenian homeland.
22 Oct 1975                 Turkish ambassador to Austria Danis Tunaligil is killed.
16 Feb 1976                 First acknowledged killing -Turkish diplomat, Oktay Cerit, in
                              Beirut.
 7 Aug 1982                 Bombing of Ankara airport 9 killed.
15 Jul 1983                 Bombing at Orly Airport kills 8.

Leaders
1975 - 25 Apr 1988          Hagop Hagopian                            (d. 1988)
1988 -                      ....

Location:                   Lebanon, Western Europe, Armenia, United States, Syria, Turkey.
Strength:                   A few hundred members and sympathizers. 

1994                       Army for the Liberation of Rwanda (Armée pour la Libération du
                             Rwanda, ALiR)(a.k.a. Interahamwe, Former Armed Forces of Rwanda 
                             [ex-FAR]) began actions to topple Rwanda's Tutsi-dominated 
                             government, and to restore Hutu control, and, possibly
                             complete the genocide begun early in 1994. FAR was the 
                             army of the Rwandan Hutu regime that carried out the genocide
                             of 500,000 or more Tutsis and regime opponents in 1994.
                             Interahamwe was its civilian militia counterpart, both merged 
                             in forced Congo exile.
1999                       ALIR kidnapped and killed 8 foreign tourists in a game park on 
                             the Congo-Uganda border.
2001                       Consolidated forces with a Kinshasa-based Hutu group to form the
                             Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

Leaders
1994 - 2001                ....

Locations:                 Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo 
Strength:                  Several thousand.

                   Adopted 2000

Supreme Leaders
1984 - 29 Dec 1999         Shoko Asahara (Chizuo Matsumoto)   (b. 1955)
29 Dec 1999 -              Fumihiro Joyu                      (b. 1962)

Location:                  Japan, previously had a presence in Australia, Russia, Ukraine, 
                             Germany, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, the former Yugoslavia, and the U.S.
Strength:                  Current membership is estimated at 1,600 (2002 est.)(the group 
                            claimed to have 9,000 members in Japan and up to 40,000 worldwide)

Spring 1978                Babbar Khalsa a militant Sikh separatist group formed.
23 Jun 1985                Bombing of Air India flight, more than 300 are killed.
1986                       Joins in declaration of "Khalistan" independence from India.
22 May 2005                Attack at movie theater in Delhi, 1 person killed 49 injured.

Leaders
1978 - 1992                Sukhdev Singh
1992 - 26 Mar 2006         Paramji Singh Bheora 
2006 -                     Wadhawa Singh

Locations:                 India, Pakistan
Strength:                  ....

1957                       Founded to protest Japan's imperial system, Western imperialism,
                             and later events such as the Gulf War and the expansion of
                             Tokyo's Narita Airport. Largest domestic militant group; has 
                             small covert action wing called Kansai Revolutionary Army
1985/86                    Performed a number of sabotage attacks, including several attempts
                             to derail trains, as well as the launching of crude incendiary
                             rockets at United States Naval bases.

Leaders
1957 -                     ....

Location:                  Japan
Strength:                  3,500; has not engaged in any terrorist activities
                             for nearly two decades.

Sep 1994                   Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA)(a.k.a. Continuity Army 
                             Council) formed as a radical terrorist splinter group formed 
                             as the clandestine armed wing of the political organization
                             Republican Sinn Fein (RSF). Goal: reunification of Ireland and 
                             to force British troops from Northern Ireland.
13 Jul 1996                Car bomb containing upto 1,200lb of home-made explosives exploded 
                             outside Kilyhelvin Hotel, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
29 Sep 1996                Car bomb containing 250lb of home-made explosives was abandoned 
                             in Belfast. 
31 Jul 1997                A bomb, estimated at between 500 and 1,000lbs, was left at the
                             grounds of Carrybridge Hotel, near Lisballaw, County Fermanagh. 
31 Oct 1997                Claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing of government 
                             offices Derry. 
24 Jan 1998                Car bomb exploded outside an entertainment club, the 'River Club'
                             on Factory Road in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
20 Feb 1998                Exploded a large car bomb, estimated at 500lbs, outside the Royal
                             Ulster Constabulary  station in the centre of Moria, County Down.
 6 Feb 2000                Bomb explosion at a hotel in Irvinestown; there were no injuries. 
 1 Jun 2000                Planted a bomb under Hammersmith Bridge, London. 
19 Jul 2000                Planted a bomb at Acton Underground Station, London. 

Leaders
Sep 1994 -                 ....

Locations:                 Northern Ireland, Irish Republic.
Strength:                  Fewer than 50 hard-core activists.

1969                       Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PDFLP),
                             a Marxist-Leninist organization, founded when it split from 
                             the PFLP. Opposed the Israel-PLO peace agreement. Goal is to
                             achieve Palestinian national goals through revolution of the 
                             masses.
1974                       Renamed Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).
since mid-1990's           Has made limited moves toward merging with the Popular Front for 
                             the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
 4 Mar 1996                Assailants poured gasoline at the entrance to a restaurant in
                             Sitrah, Bahrain and threw Molotov cocktails inside, killing 
                             7 Bangladeshi employees and destroying the restaurant.
25 Aug 2001                At Marganit Outpost, Gaza Strip 2 Palestinian gunmen killed three
                             soldiers and wounded seven Friday night as they stormed a Gaza
                             Strip outpost in an attack unprecedented in the 11-month-long
                             intifada. Soldiers at the Marganit outpost shot and killed the 
                             two gunmen. The radical DFLP claimed responsibility for the
                             raid, in its first such claim in the intifada.

Secretary-general
1969 -                     Nayef Hawatmeh "Abu an-Nuf"        (b. 1935/37)

Locations:                 Syria, Lebanon, Gaza Strip, and West Bank
Strength:                  500

Late 1970's                al-Jihad (a.k.a. Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Jihad Group, Islamic
                             Jihad) formed to overthrow Egyptian government and replacement
                             with an Islamic state; attacks U.S. and Israeli interests in 
                             Egypt and abroad.
 6 Oct 1981                Responsible for assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
17 Mar 1992                Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina is bombed
                             29 killed, 250 injured by Islamic Jihad.
Jun 1992                   Activists in Egypt murdered author Faraj Fodah.
18 Aug 1993                Claims responsibility for attempted assassination of Egyptian
                             Interior Minister Hassan al-Alfi.
25 Nov 1993                Claims responsibility for attempted assassination of Egyptian
                             Prime Minister Atef Sedky.
1995                       Responsible for the Egyptian Embassy bombing in Islamabad, Pakistan
1998                       Zawahri formally merged Egyptian Islamic Jihad into al-Qaed. 

Spiritual Leader
1970's -                   Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman            (b. 1938) 

Leaders
1970's - 19..              Abbud al-Zumar al-Sharif 
19..  -                    Ayman al-Zawahri                   (b. 1951) 
- Talaa'al Fateh ("Vanguards of Conquest") faction -
.... -                     Ahmed Husayn Agiza

Locations:                 Egypt, network outside Egypt, in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, 
                             Sudan, Lebanon, and United Kingdom.
Strength:                  Unknown, suspected to be several hundred.

1974                       Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (ERP)(People's Revolutionary
                             Army) founded as the military branch of the Partido
                             Revolucionario de los Trabajadores (Workers' Revolutionary Party)
                             in Argentina.
1974                       Kidnapping of Esso executive Víctor Samuelsson and obtaining
                             a ransom of $12 million.
Mar 1976                   Argentine armed forces moved ahead with the Dirty War, 
                             dispensing with the civilian government.
late 1977                  Eradicated as a military force by Argentine armed forces.

Commanders
1974 - 19 Jul 1976         Mario Roberto Santucho            (b. 1936 - d. 1976)
1976 - 1977                Enrique Gorriarán Merlo

Location:                  Argentina
Strength:                  100 fighters, with a 400 person support network,
                             some 2,500 sympathizers.

Note: there seems not to be one leader, but one or even more Executive committee's. The leaders listed seem to have been those who had most power.

31 Aug 1959                Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)(Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna)
                             established an independent homeland based on Marxist principles 
                             in the northern Spanish provinces of Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa, Alava, 
                             and Navarra and the southwestern French departments of Labourd, 
                             Basse-Navarra, and Soule.
1966                       ETA decides to start military struggle.
 7 Jun 1968                ETA carries out first planned killing: victim is Meliton Manzanas,
                             chief of secret police in Basque city of San Sebastian.
20 Dec 1973                Assassinats Premier Luis Carrero Blanco (likely Franco successor).
Oct 1974                   ETA divided into: ETA - 5th Assembly or Military ETA (ETA-m), and
                             ETA - 6th Assembly or Political-Military ETA (ETA-pm).
23 Feb 1981 -  Jan 1982    ETA-pm makes a truce which lasts until Jan 1982 when they kidnap
                             the father of singer Julio Iglesias.
20 Jan 1982                Many members of ETA-pm are arrested.
Sep 1982                   Many members of ETA-pm surrender.
 5 Feb 1984                ETA-pm is disbanded. What remains of its members joins the ETA-m.
1992                       ETA's three top leaders — military leader Francisco Mujika 
                             Garmendia "Pakito", political leader José Luis Alvarez
                             Santacristina "Txelis" and logistical leader José María Arregi
                             Erostarbe "Fiti", often referred to collectively as the "cupola"
                             of ETA or as the Artapalo collective [12] — were arrested in the
                             French Basque town of Bidart.
Sep 1998 -  3 Dec 1999     Observed a cease fire.
since 1960's               The group has killed more than 800 persons.
24 Mar 2006 - 30 Dec 2006  ETA declares a permanent cease-fire.
30 Dec 2006                Bomb in parking lot of Barajas International Airport in
                             Madrid kills 3.

Leaders
31 Aug 1959 - 19..         Executive Committee Heads
                           - Julen Madariaga
                           - José Maria Benito del Valle
- ETA-pm - 
19.. - 22 Feb 1983         José Astorquiza "Pottoka" 
- ETA-m -
19.. - 1987                Domingo Iturbe Abasolo "Txomin"     (d. 1987)
19.. - c. 1996             Alberto Félix López de
                             Lacalle "Mobutu" (?)
c.1996 - 1998              Mikel Albizu "Antza" (1st time)
1998 - Sep 2000            Ignacio Gracia Arregui              (b. 1955)
                             "Iñaki de Rentería"
Sep 2000 - 22 Feb 2001     Francisco Javier Garcia Gaztelu 
                             "Txapote"                         (b. 1966)
Feb 2001 - Oct 2004        Mikel Albizu "Antza" (2nd time)
                             (imprisioned Oct 2004)
Oct 2004 -                 ....

Locations:                 Northern Spain and southwestern France 
Strength:                  Unknown; may have hundreds of members, plus supporters.

10 Oct 1980                Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (Frente Farabundo Martí
                             para la Liberación Nacional, FMLN) formed with Cuban help as an
                             umbrella group for Communist and leftist insurgent groups in 
                             El Salvador.
 2 Jan 1991                Two U.S. crewmen, Lt. Col. David Pickett and Crew Chief PFC, 
                             Earnest Dawson were executed after their helicopter was downed
                             by the FMLN militants in San Miguel Department.
31 Dec 1991                Peace Agreement with El Salvadoran government; FMLN continues as a
                             legal political party.

Leader
10 Jan 1980 - 31 Dec 1991  Schafik Jorge Hándal              (b. 1930 - d. 2006)

Locations:                 El Salvador, Honduras
Strength:                  6,000-7,000

1975                       First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO)(Grupo de
                             Resistencia Anti-Fascista Premero de Octubre). The wing of
                             the illegal Communist Party of Spain of the Franco era. Formed
                             to overthrow of the Spanish government and replace it with a 
                             Marxist-Leninist regime. GRAPO is vehemently anti-U.S., calls
                             for the removal of all U.S. military forces from Spanish 
                             territory.
Nov 2000                   Spanish policeman is killed in reprisal for the arrest in France 
                             of several GRAPO leaders.

Leaders
1975 -                     ....

Location:                  Spain 
Strength:                  Unknown but likely fewer than a dozen hard-core activists. 

early 1970's               Formed by senior Fatah officers, shortly after the PLO's 
                             expulsion from Jordan. Originally intended as a personal
                             security force for Gasser Aright and other PLO leaders, Force
                             17 eventually became one of the PLO's elite units and 
                             functioned in various areas of operational activities under 
                             the direct guidance of Arafat.
Aug 1982                   As a result of the Israeli attack on its headquarters, Force 17 
                             along with the other PLO forces, left Lebanon for Tunisia.
22 Sep 1985                Killed two Israelis in the Marina of Larnaka in Cyprus.
22 Jul 1987                Palestinian caricaturist Nagy El-Ali assassinated in Kuwait.
1990                       Attempted sea born attack in Israeli beaches foiled.
1994                       Officially dissolved when Arafat returned to Gaza and merged 
                             it into al-Amn al-Ri'asah (Presidential security) unit commanded 
                             by Faisal Abu Sharah.

Commanders
1970's - 22 Jan 1979       Ali Hassan Salame "Abu Hassan"    (b. 1943 - d. 1979)
22 Jan 1979 -              Mahmoud al Natour "Abu Tayeb"

Locations:                 Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan
Strength:                  Estimated at 3,000 members.

Feb 1963                   FLQ is founded. Their ultimate goal is to establish an 
                             independent Quebec nation, free from any ties to the 
                             rest of Canada, through violent activities.
 5 Oct 1970                Kidnaps James Cross, British commercial envoy in Quebec.
18 Oct 1970                Assassinates Pierre LaPorte, Labor Minister of Quebec province.
af.Oct 1970                The FLQ members who are not arrested break off into
                             smaller splinter groups, each with varying agendas. 

Leaders
Feb 1963 - 19 Jun 1963     Georges Schoeters (imprisoned)      (b. 1930)
1965? - 1971               Charles Gagnon                      (b. 1939 - d. 2005)

Locations:                 Quebec, Canada
Strength:                  Unknown, ideology supported by some French speakers.

late 1970's                Formed with primary goal is to overthrow the Egyptian
                             government and replace it with an Islamic state, but certain
                             group leaders also may be interested in attacking U.S. and 
                             Israeli interests.
1991                       Murders Egypt's speaker of parliament. 
1992                       Attacks on Egyptian tourist sites begun.
 8 Jun 1992                Assassinates of Farag Foda. 
20 Apr 1993                Terrorists attempted to assassinate Egyptian Information Minister
                             Safw in Cairo, firing shots at his motorcade. The Minister was
                             slightly injured and his bodyguard was seriously wounded. 
27 Sep 1994                Three persons were killed and two were wounded when an assailant
                             fired on a downtown tourist area in Hurghada. Two Egyptians
                             and one German were killed in the attack. 
26 Jun 1995                Attempt in June 1995 to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni 
                             Mubarak in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
20 Oct 1995                Car bomb detonated outside the local police headquarters building
                             in Rijeka, killing the driver and injuring 29 bystander warning
                             that the attacks would continue unless authorities released an 
                             imprisoned Gama'at militant, Tala'at Fuad Kassem, who had been
                             arrested in Sep 1995.
19 Nov 1995                Car bomb attack on Egyptian embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan; 16 die.
28 Apr 1996                Europa Hotel shooting, Cairo. 18 Greek tourists killed.
18 Sep 1997                Attack on the Cairo National Antiquities Museum.
17 Nov 1997                Responsible for attack at Luxor that killed 58 foreign tourists
                             the "Hatshesut Temple massacre."

Spiritual Leader
1970's -                   Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman            (b. 1938) 

Leaders
1970's - 1991              Ala Mohieddin                      (d. 1991)
1991 -                     ....

Locations:                 Egypt, network outside Egypt, in Sudan, the United Kingdom,
                             Afghanistan, Austria, and Yemen.
Strength:                  Unknown. At its peak, IG probably commanded several thousand
                             hard-core members and another several thousand sympathizers.

1987                       Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (Hamas)("Islamic Resistance
                             Movement"). Formed as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch
                             of the Muslim Brotherhood. Aimed at establishing an Islamic
                             Palestinian state in place of Israel.
1989                       Israel outlaws Hamas and imprisons Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
16 Apr 1993                Hamas' first use of suicide bombing.
25 Feb 1996                A suicide bomber blew up a bus in Jerusalem, killing 26 people 
                             and injuring some 80 others.
Aug 1999                   Jordanian authorities closed the group's Political Bureau offices
                             in Amman, arrested its leaders, and prohibited the group from
                             operating on Jordanian territory.
 1 Jun 2001                A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt amid a
                             crowd of youngsters outside a beach front nightclub, 
                             Dolphinarium, on a Friday night, killing at least 20 and injuring
                             more than 120. The blast occurred shortly after 11:00 pm 
                             on Tel-Aviv's Promenade.
 9 Aug 2001                A suicide bombing at a pizza restaurant in the center of Jerusalem
                             killed 15 people -mostly young families and tourists- and wounded
                             more than 90. Six children were among the dead. At roughly 14:00,
                             a blast devastated a crowded Sbarro Pizzeria at the corner of
                             King George and Jaffa streets.
27 Mar 2002                29 Israelis were killed and around 150 were wounded, when a suicide
                             bomber detonated an explosive device in the dining room of the
                             Park Hotel in Netanya.
 7 May 2002                A suicide bomber detonated a powerful bomb in a crowded billiards
                             hall in Israel, killing at least 16 and wounding more than 50.
                             The attack took place at the "Sheffield Club" pool hall, on the
                             third floor of a building in Rishon LeZion, South of Tel-Aviv.
18 Jun 2002                A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus packed with
                             schoolchildren and office workers near the busy Patt Intersection
                             in southern Jerusalem, killing 20 people and wounding 52.
31 Jul 2002                At least 9 people were killed and seventy wounded in a bombing
                             at Hebrew University's Mount Scopus campus.
 4 Aug 2002                At least 10 people were killed, and more than 40 wounded in a
                             suicide bombing on a commuter bus in Meron Junction in northern
                             Israel.
15 Nov 2002                12 Israelis; four IDF soldiers, five Border Policemen and three
                             civilians, members of the emergency response squad of Kiryat 
                             Arba, were killed and 15 were injured in a Palestinian gunmen 
                             ambush in Hebron.
21 Nov 2002                A suicide bomber struck a municipal bus in Jerusalem, killing at
                             least ten people and injuring nearly 50. The bombing targeted
                             the number 20 Jerusalem bus as it passed through a quiet
                             residential neighborhood at the height of morning rush hour.
21 Mar 2004                Israel assassinates Sheik Ahmed Yasin in Gaza City, in Gaza Strip.
17 Apr 2004                Israel assassinates Rantissi in car explosion.
25 Jan 2006                In Palestinian parliamentary elections, Hamas wins 74 of 132 
                             seats and Fatah 45. Turnout is 78.2%. 
29 Mar 2006                Ismail Haniya (b. 1962) of Hamas is sworn in as Prime minister 
                             of the Palestinian government.

Spiritual Leader
1987 - 21 Mar 2004         Sheikh Ahmed Yassin               (b. 1936 - d. 2004)
                            (imprisoned 1989 - Oct 1997)

Leaders
1987 - 17 Apr 2004         Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi            (b. 1947 - d. 2004) 
18 Apr 2004 -              Mahmoud al-Zahar (?)              (b. 1945) 

Political leader/leader of Syrian branch
2004 -                     Khaled Meshaal                    (b. 1956)

Leader in Gaza Strip
22 Mar 2004 - 17 Apr 2004  Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi           (b. 1947 - d. 2004)

Locations:                 Israel, Gaza Strip, and West Bank
Strength:                  Unknown number of hard-core members; tens of thousands of
                             supporters and sympathizers.

Oct 1993                   Harakat ul-Ansar (HUA) founded to oppose Indian troops in Kashmir.
1994                       U.S. nationals kidnapped in New Delhi in effort to secure the 
                             release of imprisoned HUA leader Maulana Masood Azhar.

Leader
Oct 1993 - 1994            Maulana Masood Azhar

Locations:                 Pakistan, Kashmir
Strength:                  Several thousand armed supporters

early 1990's               Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM)(formerly known as the Harakat al-Ansar)
                             militant islamic group formed to unite Kashmir with Pakistan.
Jul 1995                   Linked to the kindaping of five Western tourists in Kashmir
                             who were later killed in Dec 1995.
Feb 1998                   Issues fatwa calling for attacks on U.S. and Western interests.
late 1999                  About 45% of HUM defects to join Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM).
24 Dec 1999                An India Airlines Airbus was hijacked enroute from Katmandu, 
                             Nepal to India. After making stops in India, Pakistan and the
                             United Arab Emirates, the plane was forced to land at Kandahar
                             in Afghanistan. 27 hostages, mostly women and children were
                             released when the plane made a re-fueling stop in the United 
                             Arab Emirates. 1 passenger was stabbed to death by the hijackers.
                             After 8 days of negotiations, the Indian government agreed to
                             free three Kashmiri militants in exchange for the release of the
                             remaining 154 hostages. One of those released was Maulana Masoud
                             Azhar, a senior member of the HUM.
 

Emirs
1990's - Feb 2000          Fazlur Rehman Khalil
Feb 2000 -                 Farooq Kashmiri

Secretary-general
Feb 2000 -                 Fazlur Rehman Khalil

Locations:                 Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir
Strength:                  Several thousand armed supporters.

1982                       Hezbollah ("Party of God")(Hizballah, a.k.a. Islamic Jihad,
                             Revolutionary Justice Organization, Organization of the
                             Oppressed on Earth, and Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of
                             Palestine). Radical Shia organization founded in 
                             Lebanon to increase its political power in Lebanon, and opposing
                             Israel and the Middle East peace negotiations.
1982 - 1992                Kidnapped around 30 Westerners between 1982 and 1992, including 
                             American journalist Terry Anderson, British journalist John
                             McCarthy, the Archbishop of Canterbury's special envoy 
                             Terry Waite and Irish citizen Brian Keenan. 
18 Apr 1983                Suicide bombing of the American Embassy in Beirut, killed
                             61 people and left more than 120 wounded.
23 Oct 19