Terrorist Groups Since September 11th,

Terrorist Groups

Since September 11th, terrorism is one of the most significant topics for Americans today. September 11th shattered American's view that they were somehow protected within the confines of their country borders. Although attacks had been made on Americans, in the past, these were still somehow disjointed from the American experience, and as such, did not have the powerful effect that the strikes on America, on that fateful Fall day, did.

This paper will examine three of the most prominent terrorist groups today. Al Qaeda, Hizballan and Abu Nidal will be detailed. In addition, similarities and differences to these groups will be given, in hopes to better understand their motivations.

Terrorist Groups

Introduction:

Since September 11th, terrorism is one of the most significant topics for Americans today. September 11th shattered American's view that they were somehow protected within the confines of their country borders. Although attacks had been made on Americans, in the past, these were still somehow disjointed from the American experience, and as such, did not have the powerful effect that the strikes on America, on that fateful Fall day, did.

This paper will examine three of the most prominent terrorist groups today. Al Qaeda, Hizballan and Abu Nidal will be detailed. In addition, similarities and differences to these groups will be given, in hopes to better understand their motivations.

Al Qaeda:

Al Qaeda is Arabic for 'the foundation' or 'the base'. It is a militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in 1988. It was originally formed to expand the mujahideen resistance movement against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, into a pan-Islamic movement to fight for other Islamic communities that were also under siege. These included Kashmir, Bosnia, Chechnya, and Palestine. Their methods include both military and terrorist tactics ("Al Qaeda," 2005).

Al Qaeda is a militant Islamist movement that has become confrontational with the United States due to several alliances the United States has. These alliances include Israel, Saudi Arabia and other entities that they perceive to be oppressive to Muslims. In addition, they feel that there are certain aspects of Western culture and values that are incompatible with the teachings of Islam. Al Qaeda believes that Western governments, such as the United States, interfere in the activities of Islamic nations, such that they are against the interests of Muslims. They see the economic and military support of certain entities as oppressive to Muslims. ("Al Qaeda," 2005).

Al Qaeda has claimed involvement in a number of attacks against both civilian and military targets around the world. As such, they have been labeled as a terrorist organization by not only the United States, but also by the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and many other of the world's leading governments ("Al Qaeda," 2005).

The most notable Al Qaeda attack happened on September 11th, 2001. Suicide members of Al Qaeda flew passenger airplanes into the World Trade Center, in New York City, and the Pentagon, in Washington, D.C., killing approximately 3,000 people ("Al Qaeda," 2005). In addition, Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda have been connected to a number of other atrocities including the 1998 bombing of the two U.S. embassies in East Africa, bombings on the island of Bali, suicide attacks in Casablanca, Riyadh and Istanbul, and the attack on the U.S.S. Cole ("Who is Osama," 2004).

The International Institute for Strategic Studies states in a 2004 report that Al Qaeda has more than 18,000 potential militants scattered around the world operating in more than 60 countries. (However), others question whether this murky entity has more than a handful of true members" ("Al Qaeda," 2005). The senior leaders of Al Qaeda are supposedly also multi-national and are also senior leaders in other terrorist organization, such as the Egyptian al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya and the Egyptian al-Jihad (Pike, 2004).

Abu Nidal Organization:

The Abu Nidal Organization is also known by several other names, such as: Fatah Revolutionary Council, Arab Revolutionary Brigades, Black September, or Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims. It is an international terrorist organization that was founded by Sabri al-Banna, otherwise known as Abu Nidal. The organization split from PLO in 1974 and is made up of various functional committees. These include: political, military and financial committees. Founder Abu Nidal died in Baghdad in November 2002 and it is now unclear who the new leader of the organization is ("Abu Nidal," 2004).

The Abu Nidal Organization has carried out terrorist attacks in 20 countries and has killed or injured nearly 1,000 people in those attacks. Primary targets include the United States, United Kingdom, France, Israel, moderate Palestinians, the PLO, and a variety of Arab countries. They were responsible for the attacks on the Rome and Vienna airports in December of 1985, the Neve Shalom synagogue in Istanbul, and the Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking in Karachi, in September of 1986. They have not staged a major attack against Western targets since the late 1980s ("Abu Nidal," 2004).

Abu Nidal has a few hundred members with limited overseas support. The group has had a presence in Iraq since December of 1998. The organization has demonstrated the ability to operate in multiple areas, however, financial problems and disorganization have reduced their activities and abilities ("Abu Nidal," 2004).

Hizballah:

Hizballah in Arabic means Party of God. They are a terrorist organization based in Lebanon, with the primary objective of fighting Israel in south Lebanon. While many Western governments consider Hizballah an Islamic terrorist organization, some European countries, Arab and Muslim nations consider the organization a legitimate, militant, Shia political party ("Hizballah").

Hizballah was founded in 1982 as a guerilla group, by Lebanese clerics, with financial backing from Iran. Their mission was to oppose the 1982 Iraeli invasion of Lebanon, and has since been working to oppose the subsequent occupation of southern Lebanon.