Name and base of
operations | Description | Goals and targets | Est.strength | Year founded | Alleged activities |
|---|
| Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) a.k.a. Fatah; Iraq | Transnational organization, composed of functional committees | Targets U.S., UK, France, Israel, moderate Palestinians, the PLO, Arab countries | A few hundred | 1974 | Attacks in 20 countries, killing or injuring 900. Leader Abu Nidal died in 2002 |
| Abu Sayyaf Group; Philippines, Malaysia | Separatist group composed of several semiautonomous factions | Aims to create Islamic state in Philippines; profit-driven terror | 200–500 | 1991 | Kidnappings, bombings, assassinations, and extortion |
| Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade; West Bank, Gaza Strip, Israel | Small cells of Fatah-affiliated activists | Aims to drive out Israelis and to establish a Palestinian state | Unknown | 2000 | Shootings, suicide operations (first Palestinian female suicide bombing) |
| Ansar al-Islam (AI); Iraqi Kurds and Arabs | Iraqi Kurds and Arabs | Aims to create an Islamic state in Iraq; allied with al-Qaeda | 500–1,000 | 2001 | Ambushes and attacks |
| Armed Islamic Group (GIA); Algeria | Islamic extremists | Aims to replace Algerian regime with an Islamic state | Less than 100 | 1992 | Massacred thousands of civilians, targeted foreigners |
| Asbat al-Ansar; Lebanon | Sunni extremist group associated with Osama bin Laden | Aims to create Islamic state, opposes peace with Israel | 300 | 1990s | Assassinations, bombings of Western targets, failed coup |
| Aum Shinrikyo (Aum); Japan, Russia | Cult established by Shoko Asahara | Claims U.S. will start WWIII with Japan, beginning Armageddon | 1,950 | 1987 | Chemical attacks on Tokyo subways, no recent activity |
| Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA); Spain, France | Established to create an independent Basque homeland | Targets Spanish and French government interests, tourists | Unknown | 1959 | Since 1960, more than 850 killed, hundreds injured |
| Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA); Philippines | CPP's military wing that aims to overthrow the government through guerrilla warfare | Targets Philippine security forces, politicians, judges, government informers, NPA rebels | Less than 9,000 | 1969 | Assassinations, murders, attacks on U.S. personnel and interests |
| Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA); Northern Ireland, Irish Republic | Splinter group, also called Continuity Army Council and Republican Sinn Fein | Targets British military, Northern Ireland security forces, Loyalist paramilitary groups | Less than 50 | 1990s | Bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, extortion, robberies |
| Gama’a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group); Egypt | Egypt’s largest militant group now split into two factions, one calling for cease-fire. | Aims to replace Egypt's government with an Islamic state | Unknown | 1973 | 1993 World Trade Center bombings, attacks on tourists |
| HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement); West Bank, Gaza Strip, Israel | Outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood | Aims to replace Israel with Palestinian Islamic state using political and violent means | Unknown | 1987 | Large-scale suicide bombings and attacks against Israelis |
| Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM); Pakistan | Islamic militant group aligned with the radical JUI-F faction | Targets Indian troops, Kashmiri civilians, and Western interests | Several hundred | 1985 | Linked to al-Qaeda, hijacked Indian airliner in 1999 |
| Hezbollah (Party of God); Lebanon, worldwide cells | A radical Shi'ite group with aims for the creation of Iranian-style Islamic republic | Dedicated to eliminating Israel, is anti-U.S. and anti-Israel | A few hundred | 1982 | Suicide bombings, hijacked 1985 TWA Flight 847; rocket attacks against Israel in 2006 |
| Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU); South Asia, Tajikistan, Iran | Islamic militants opposed to Uzbekistani President Islom Karimov's secular regime | Aims to remove Karimov, establish an Islamic state, and fight anti-Islamic opponents | Less than 500 | 1991 | Car bombs, taking foreign hostages, most active in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan |
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) (Army of Mohammed);
Pakistan | Islamic extremist group formed after Masood Azhar's release from prison. | Aims to unite Kashmir with Pakistan, targets Indian government and political leaders | Several hundred | 2000 | Murder of U.S. journalist, Indian Parliament bombing, anti-Christian attacks |
| Jemaah Islamiya organization (JI); cells span Southeast Asia | Southeast Asian network aims to create an idealized Islamic state | Plotted against tourist spots, foreign diplomatic buildings | Unknown | 1990s | Bombings in Indonesia and Philippines |
| Al-Jihad (AJ); Cairo, Egypt, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, UK | Egyptian Islamic extremists, merged with al-Qaeda in 2001 | Aims to replace the Egyptian government with Islamic state, attack U.S., Israeli interests | Several hundred | 1970s | Attacks on Egyptian government personnel, assassinated Anwar Sadat |
| Kahane Chai (Kach); Israel, West Bank | Jewish extremist group aims to restore the biblical state of Israel | Organizes protests against the Israeli government | Unknown | 1994 | Threats made to Arabs, Palestinians, and Israeli officials |
| Kongra-Gel (KGK), a.k.a. Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); Turkey, Middle East | Marxist–Leninist insurgent group aims to create a democratic Kurdish state | Targets Turkish security forces, officials, and villagers who oppose organization | 4,000–5,000 | 1974 | Attacked diplomatic and commercial facilities, bombed tourist sites |
| Lashkar-e- Tayyiba (LT) (Army of the Righteous); Pakistan | Armed wing of a Pakistan-based Sunni anti-U.S. missionary group | Targets Indian troops and civilians in Kashmir | Several thousand | 1989 | Attacks on border security forces and Indian Parliament |
| Lashkar i Jhangvi (LJ); Pakistan, Afghanistan | A Sunni sectarian radical group banned in Pakistan in 2001 | Anti-Shi'ite group aims to create a Muslim state in Pakistan | Less than 100 | 1996 | Armed attacks, bombings, attempted assassinations |
| Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE); Sri Lanka | Most powerful Tamil group in Sri Lanka aims to create a Tamil state | Targets key personnel, senior political and military leaders | 8,000– 10,000 | 1976 | Assassinations, suicide bombers: “The Black Tigers” |
| Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG); Libya, United Kingdom, other countries | Libyans who had fought against Soviet forces in Afganistan and the Qaddafi regime in Libya. | Pledged to overthrow un-Islamic government of Libyan president Muammar al-Qaddafi | Several hundred | 1990s | Suicide bombings, assassination attempt against Qaddafi |
| Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM) | | Wishes to create an Islamic state in Morocco | Unknown | 1990s | 2003 terrorist attack on Casablanca; 2004 Madrid bombing |
| Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK); Iraq | Marxist–Islamic group expelled from Iran receiving Iraqi support | Largest armed Iranian opposition group advocates a secular Iranian regime | Over 3,000 | 1960s | Assassinations, terrorist bombings, foreign military- aided assaults |
| National Liberation Army (ELN); Colombia, Venezuela | Marxist insurgent group inspired by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara | Targets foreign employees from large corporations | 3,000 | 1965 | Kidnapping, hijacking, bombing, and extortion |
| Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ); Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip | Militant Palestinians committed to destroying Israel through holy war | Targets Israeli military and civilians, opposes secularism | Unknown | 1970s | Suicide bombings, attacks on Israeli interests |
| Palestine Liberation Front (PLF); Iraq | Broke away from PFLP-GC and split into pro-PLO, –Syrian, and –Libyan factions | Known for aerial attacks against Israel | Unknown | 1970s | Attacked Italian ship Achille Lauro, murdered a U.S. citizen |
| Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); Syria, Lebanon, Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip | Marxist-Leninist group that broke away from the Arab Nationalist Movement | Targets Israel's “illegal occupation” of Palestine and opposes negotiations with Israel | Unknown | 1967 | International terrorist acts in the 1970s, attacks against Israel and moderate Arab targets since 1978 |
| Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command (PFLP-GC); Syria | Split from the PFLP to focus on fighting, opposes Arafat's PLO | Attacks in Europe and the Middle East. Targets Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Strip | Several hundred | 1968 | Unusual attacks: hot air balloons, hang gliders, Lebanese guerrilla operations |
| Al-Qaeda; Afghanistan until 2001, Southeast Asia, Middle East, worldwide cells | Osama bin Laden's network of Arabs who fought against the Soviet Union. Goal to establish a worldwide pan-Islamic Caliphate | Targets “non-Islamic” regimes and U.S. citizens | Several thousand | 1980s | Bombings of embassies and USS Cole; September 11, 2001, U.S. attacks |
| Al-Qaeda in Iraq | | Targets U.S. soldiers and Iraqi citizens; leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi killed by U.S. in 2006 | c. 1,000 | 2003 | Major and numerous terrorist attacks in Iraq |
| Real IRA; Northern Ireland, UK, Irish Republic | Armed wing of the 32-County Sovereignty Movement to unify Ireland | Targets civilians, military, police, and Protestant communities | Less than 100 | 1998 | Bombings, assassinations, robberies |
| Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC); Colombia | Oldest and most–capable Marxist insurgency with ties to narcotics trafficking | Targets Colombian political, military, and economic interests, also foreign citizens | 9,000–12,000 | 1964 | Bombings, mortar attacks, kidnappings, extortion, guerrilla warfare, and drug trafficking |
| Revolutionary Nuclei (formerly ELA); Athens, Greece | Emerged from antiestablishment and anti-U.S./NATO/EU leftist groups | Targets U.S. and European interests and government buildings in Greece | Believed small | 1995 | Arson attacks, low-level bombings, usually striking in early-morning hours |
| Revolutionary Organization 17 November; Athens, Greece | Radical leftist group named for student uprising in 1973 | Seeks removal of U.S. bases, Turkish military, and the severing of NATO and EU ties | Believed small | 1975 | Assassinations, bombings, improvised rocket attacks, supported by bank robberies |
| Revolutionary People's Liberation Army/Front (DHKP-C); Turkey | Marxist-Leninist group: “Party” refers to its political activities, “Front” refers to its militant operations | Anti-U.S., anti-NATO, and anti-Turkish establishment group | Unknown | 1978 | Attacks on U.S. interests, suicide bombings |
| Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC); Algeria | Outgrowth of GIA and the most effective armed group in Algeria | Military and government targets, pledges to avoid civilians | Several hundred | 1992 | Attacks military, police, and government convoys |
| Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL); Peru | Based on Maoist teachings, aims to destroy Peruvian institutions | Aims to build communist regime, targets political enemies | 300 | 1960s | 30,000 dead, assassinations, bombings, village raids |
| Tanzim Qa'idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (QJBR) a.k.a. Al-Zarqawi Network and Al-Qaeda in Iraq; Iraq | Established soon after start of Operation Iraqi Freedom to bring together jihadists and other insurgents; merged with al-Qaeda | Aims to expel Coalition forces and establish Islamic state in Iraq, then move to Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan | Unknown | 2003 | Many bombings, killing hundreds; assassination of key Iraqi political figures; beheadings of Americans |
| United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC); Colombia | Umbrella organization that consolidates paramilitary groups | Targets “insurgents” from FARC and ELN | 8,000–11,000 | 1997 | Assassinations, guerrilla warfare, and drug trafficking |
1. As of April 2006, the U.S. State Department has designated these groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
