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HAVENS FOR TERRORISTS The Middle East has traditionally been a hot spot for terrorism. So much so that five nations — Libya, Sudan, Syria, Iraq and Iran — are on a government-recognized list of states that sponsor terrorism to attain political goals. The terror doesn’t stop with the Middle East, as chemical, biological and nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union must be factored into the equation. |
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A LOOK AT SOME OF THE GROUPS AL-QAIDA:
Established
in 1990 by Osama bin Laden, it was originally formed in an attempt to
drive the invading Russian army out of Afghanistan. The organization
helped finance, support and train Sunni Islamic extremists for the Afghan
resistance. Their professed goal is the creation of a Muslim state throughout
the world and to work with Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes
it deems overly influenced by Western values. Al-Qaida issued a statement
under the banner of “The World Islamic Front for Jihad Against
The Jews and Crusaders” in February 1998, saying it was the duty
of all Muslims to kill U.S. citizens, civilian or military, and their
allies everywhere. DEMOCRATIC
FRONT FOR THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE (DFLP): Originally thought
to have claimed responsibility for the World Trade Center explosion,
the DFLP, however, has denied the claim. In the 1970s it carried out
numerous small bombings and minor assaults in Israel and the occupied
territories, concentrating on Israeli targets. It was recently involved
in an assault on an Israeli military post that ended with three Israelis
dead. HAMAS:
It was formed in 1987 to establish an Islamic Palestinian state in place
of Israel. It conducted many attacks — including large-scale suicide
bombings — against Israeli civilian and military targets. It has
claimed several attacks during the unrest in late 2000. Hamas’
strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and a few areas of the West
Bank. HEZBOLLAH:
It is strongly anti-West and anti-Israel and is closely allied with,
and often directed by, Iran but may have conducted operations that were
not approved by Tehran. It was known or suspected to have been involved
in numerous anti-U.S. terrorist attacks, including the suicide truck
bombing of the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in October
1983 and the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut in September 1984. MUJAHEDEEN
KHALQ (MEK): Has developed into the largest and most active Iranian
dissident group. During the 1970s the MEK staged terrorist attacks inside
Iran and killed several U.S. military personnel and civilians in Tehran.
It supported the takeover in 1979 of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. SOURCES: Federation of American Scientists; U.S. Navy; U.S. Department of State DMN Staff Graphic
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STATE-SPONSORED TERRORISM The State Department maintains a list of countries that are known to sponsor or support international terrorists. The current list of seven countries (five are mapped): IRAN: Iran has recently been the most active in supporting terrorists. It has supported Hezbollah, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in their attempts to undermine the peace process. IRAQ: It has a reputation for providing support and haven to a number of Palestinian rejectionist groups and terrorists operating against Iran. SYRIA: It also offers support and haven to terrorists opposed to the peace process. LIBYA: While its ties to terrorism have subsided since the late 1980s, Libya has yet to comply with U.N. resolutions regarding the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. SUDAN: It continues to serve as meeting place, haven and training hub for Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida, Hezbollah, al-Jihad, al-Gama’at, PIJ, Hamas, and the Abu Nidal Organization. NORTH KOREA (not shown above): Harboring hijackers. It has links to Osama bin Laden. CUBA (not shown above): It harbors terrorists as well as sponsoring Latin American insurgents. |
