Patterns of Global Terorrism

U.S. Department of State, April 2000

Introduction

The US Government continues its commitment to use all tools necessary—including international

diplomacy, law enforcement, intelligence collection and sharing, and military force—to counter

current terrorist threats and hold terrorists accountable for past actions. Terrorists seek refuge in

“swamps” where government control is weak or governments are sympathetic. We seek to drain

these swamps. Through international and domestic legislation and strengthened law enforcement,

the United States seeks to limit the room in which terrorists can move, plan, raise funds, and

operate. Our goal is to eliminate terrorist safehavens, dry up their sources of revenue, break up

their cells, disrupt their movements, and criminalize their behavior. We work closely with other

countries to increase international political will to limit all aspects of terrorists’ efforts.

US counterterrorist policies are tailored to combat what we believe to be the shifting trends in

terrorism. One trend is the shift from well-organized, localized groups supported by state

sponsors to loosely organized, international networks of terrorists. Such a network supported

the failed attempt to smuggle explosives material and detonating devices into Seattle in December.

With the decrease of state funding, these loosely networked individuals and groups have turned

increasingly to other sources of funding, including private sponsorship, narcotrafficking, crime,

and illegal trade. This shift parallels a change from primarily politically motivated terrorism to

terrorism that is more religiously or ideologically motivated. Another trend is the shift eastward

of the locus of terrorism from the Middle East to South Asia, specifically Afghanistan. As most

Middle Eastern governments have strengthened their counterterrorist response, terrorists and

their organizations have sought safehaven in areas where they can operate with impunity.

US Policy Tenets

Our policy has four main elements:

• First, make no concessions to terrorists and strike no deals.

• Second, bring terrorists to justice for their crimes.

• Third, isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor terrorism to force them to change

their behavior.

• Fourth, bolster the counterterrorist capabilities of those countries that work with the United

States and require assistance.

The US Government uses two primary legislative tools—the designations of state sponsors and

of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)—as well as bilateral and multilateral efforts to

implement these tenets.

State Sponsors

After extensive research and intelligence analysis, the Department of State designates certain

states as sponsors of terrorism in order to enlist a series of sanctions against them for providing

support for international terrorism. Through these sanctions, the United States seeks to isolate

states from the international community, which condemns and rejects the use of terror as a

legitimate political tool. This year the Department of State has redesignated the same seven states

that have been on the list since 1993: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.

The designation of state sponsors is not permanent, however. In fact, a primary focus of US

counterterrorist policy is to move state sponsors off the list by delineating clearly what steps

these countries must take to end their support for terrorism and by urging them to take these

steps.

As direct state sponsorship has declined, terrorists increasingly have sought refuge wherever they

can. Some countries on the list have reduced dramatically their direct support of terrorism over

the past years—and this is an encouraging sign. They still are on the list, however, usually for

activity in two categories: harboring of past terrorists (some for more than 20 years) and

continuing their linkages to designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Cuba is one of the state

sponsors that falls in this category.

The harboring of past terrorists, although not an active measure, is still significant in terms of US

policy. International terrorists must know unequivocally that they cannot seek haven in states

and “wait out” the period until international pressure diminishes. The US Government

encourages all state sponsors to terminate all links to terrorism— including harboring old “Cold

War terrorists”—and join the international community in observing zero tolerance for terrorism.

Of course, if a state sponsor meets the criteria for being dropped from the terrorism list, it will be

removed—notwithstanding other differences we may have with a country’s other policies and

actions.

There have been encouraging signs recently suggesting that some countries are considering taking

steps to distance themselves from terrorism. North Korea has made some positive statements

condemning terrorism in all its forms. We have outlined clearly to the Government of North

Korea the steps it must take to be removed from the list, all of which are consistent with its

stated policies. A Middle East peace agreement necessarily would address terrorist issues and

would lead to Syria being considered for removal from the list of state sponsors.

In addition to working to move states away from sponsorship, the Department of State

constantly monitors other states whose policies and actions increase the threat to US citizens

living and working abroad.

Areas of Concern

The primary terrorist threats to the United States emanate from two regions, South Asia and the

Middle East. Supported by state sponsors, terrorists live in and operate out of areas in these

regions with impunity. They find refuge and support in countries that are sympathetic to their

use of violence for political gain, derive mutual benefit from harboring terrorists, or simply are

weakly governed. The United States will continue to use the designations of state sponsors and

Foreign Terrorist Organizations, political and economic pressure, and other means as necessary

to compel those states that allow terrorists to live, move, and operate with impunity and those

who provide financial and political patronage for terrorists to end their direct or indirect support

for terrorism.

In South Asia the major terrorist threat comes from Afghanistan, which continues to be the

primary safehaven for terrorists. While not directly hostile to the United States, the Taliban,

which controls the majority of Afghan territory, continues to harbor Usama Bin Ladin and a host

of other terrorists loosely linked to Bin Ladin, who directly threaten the United States and others

in the international community. The Taliban is unwilling to take actions against terrorists trained

in Afghanistan, many of whom have been linked to numerous international terrorist plots,

including the foiled plots in Jordan and Washington State in December 1999. Pakistan continues

to send mixed messages on terrorism. Despite significant and material cooperation in some

areas—particularly arrests and extraditions—the Pakistani Government also has tolerated

terrorists living and moving freely within its territory. Pakistan’s government has supported

groups that engage in violence in Kashmir, and it has provided indirect support for terrorists in

Afghanistan.

In the Middle East, two state sponsors—Iran and Syria—have continued to support regional

terrorist groups that seek to destroy the Middle East peace process. The Iranian Ministry of

Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continue

to provide training, financial, and political support directly to Lebanese Hizballah, HAMAS, and

Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives who seek to disrupt the peace process. These terrorist

organizations, along with others, are based in Damascus, a situation that the Syrian Government

made little effort to change in 1999. The Syrian Government—through harboring terrorists,

allowing their free movement, and providing resources—continued to be a crucial link in the

terrorist threat emanating from this region during the past year. Lebanon also was a

key—although different—link in the terrorist equation. The Lebanese Government does not

exercise control over many parts of its territory where terrorist groups operate with impunity,

often under Syrian protection, thus leaving Lebanon as another key safehaven for Hizballah,

HAMAS, and several other groups the United States has designated as Foreign Terrorist

Organizations.

Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)

Secretary Albright in October designated 28 Foreign Terrorist Organizations, dropping three from

the previous list (issued in 1997) and adding one. The removal or addition of groups shows our

effort to maintain a current list that accurately reflects those groups that are foreign, engage in

terrorist activity, and threaten the security of US citizens or the national security of the United

States. The designations make members and representatives of those groups ineligible for US

visas and subject to exclusion from the United States. US financial institutions are required to

block the funds of those groups and of their agents and to report the blocking action to the US

Department of the Treasury. Additionally, it is a criminal offense for US persons or persons

within US jurisdiction knowingly to provide material support or resources to such groups.

As in the case of state sponsorship, the goal of US policy is to eliminate the use of terrorism as a

policy instrument by those organizations it designates as FTOs. Organizations that cease to

engage in terrorist-related activities will be dropped from the list.

A complete list of the designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations is included in Appendix B.

US Diplomatic Efforts

In addition to continuing our cooperation with close allies and friends, such as the United

Kingdom, Canada, Israel, and Japan, we made significant progress on our primary policy

objectives with other key governments and organizations. In 2000 we began a bilateral

counterterrorist working group with India, and we look forward to increasing US-Indian

counterterrorist cooperation in the years ahead.

We worked closely with the Group of Eight (G-8) states and reached a common agreement about

the threat that Iran’s support for terrorist groups poses to the Middle East peace process. In the

meeting in November of counterterrorist experts the G-8 representatives agreed that the Iranian

Government had increased its activities and support for HAMAS, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,

and Hizballah with the aim of undermining the Middle East peace process. We explored with G-8

partners ways to exert influence on the Iranian Government to end its sponsorship of those

groups.

In 1999 we also expanded our discussions with Russia and initiated dialogues with key Central

Asian states, the Palestinian Authority, and other states eager to cooperate with the United

States and strengthen their ability to counter terrorist threats.

The United States worked closely with the Government of Argentina and other hemispheric

partners to bring about the creation of CICTE, the Organization of American States’ (OAS)

Inter-American Commission on Counterterrorism. As the first chair of CICTE, the United States

worked with other OAS members to develop new means to diminish the terrorist threat in this

hemisphere.

This past summer the United States also hosted an important multilateral conference that brought

together senior counterterrorist officials from more than 20 countries, primarily from the Middle

East, Central Asia, and Asia. The conference promoted international cooperation against

terrorism, the sharing of information on terrorist groups and countermeasures, and the discussion

of policy choices.

After President Clinton issued an Executive Order in July levying sanctions against the Taliban

for harboring terrorist suspect Usama Bin Ladin, the United Nations in October overwhelmingly

passed Security Council Resolution 1267, which imposed a similar set of sanctions against the

Taliban.

On 8 December the UN General Assembly also adopted the International Convention for the

Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, which grew out of the G-8’s initiative to combat

terrorist financing and was drafted and introduced by France. The convention fills an important

gap in international law by expanding the legal framework for international cooperation in the

investigation, prosecution, and extradition of persons who engage in terrorist financing.

The United States conducts a successful program to train foreign law enforcement personnel in

such areas as airport security, bomb detection, maritime security, VIP protection, hostage rescue,

and crisis management. To date, we have trained more than 20,000 representatives from over 100

countries. We also conduct an active research and development program to adapt modern

technology for use in defeating terrorists.

Summary

The United States continues to make progress in fighting terrorism. The policy and programs of

the past 20 years have reduced dramatically the role of state sponsors in directly supporting

terrorism. The threat is shifting, and we are responding accordingly. It is our clear policy goal to

get all seven countries and 28 FTOs out of the terrorist business completely. We seek to have all

state sponsors rejoin the community of nations committed to ending the threat. We must

redouble our efforts, however, to “drain the swamp” in other countries—whether hostile to the

United States or not—where terrorists seek to find safehaven for their planning and operations.

Terrorism will be with us for the foreseeable future. Some terrorists will continue using the most

popular form of terrorism—the truck or car bomb—while others will seek alternative means to

deliver their deadly message, including weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or cyber attacks.

We must remain vigilant to these new threats, and we are preparing ourselves for them.

All terrorists—even a “cyber terrorist”—must occupy physical space to carry out attacks. The

strong political will of states to counter the threat of terrorism remains the crucial variable of our

success.

Note

Adverse mention in this report of individual members of any political, social, ethnic, religious, or

national group is not meant to imply that all members of that group are terrorists. Indeed,

terrorists represent a small minority of dedicated, often fanatical, individuals in most such

groups. It is those small groups—and their actions—that are the subject of this report.

Furthermore, terrorist acts are part of a larger phenomenon of politically inspired violence, and at

times the line between the two can become difficult to draw. To relate terrorist events to the

larger context and to give a feel for the conflicts that spawn violence, this report will discuss

terrorist acts as well as other violent incidents that are not necessarily international terrorism.

Ambassador Michael A. Sheehan

Coordinator for Counterterrorism

Legislative Requirements

This report is submitted in compliance with Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f(a),

which requires the Department of State to provide Congress a full and complete annual report on

terrorism for those countries and groups meeting the criteria of Section (a)(1) and (2) of the Act.

As required by legislation, the report includes detailed assessments of foreign countries where

significant terrorist acts occurred and countries about which Congress was notified during the

preceding five years pursuant to Section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act of 1979 (the so-

called terrorist list countries that repeatedly have provided state support for international

terrorism). In addition, the report includes all relevant information about the previous year’s

activities of individuals, terrorist organizations, or umbrella groups known to be responsible for

the kidnapping or death of any US citizen during the preceding five years, and groups known to

be financed by state sponsors of terrorism.

In 1996, Congress amended the reporting requirements contained in the above-referenced law.

The amended law requires the Department of State to report on the extent to which other

countries cooperate with the United States in apprehending, convicting, and punishing terrorists

responsible for attacking US citizens or interests. The law also requires that this report describe

the extent to which foreign governments are cooperating, or have cooperated during the previous

five years, in preventing future acts of terrorism. As permitted in the amended legislation, the

Department is submitting such information to Congress in a classified annex to this unclassified

report.

Definitions

No one definition of terrorism has gained universal acceptance. For the purposes of this report,

however, we have chosen the definition of terrorism contained in Title 22 of the United States

Code, Section 2656f(d). That statute contains the following definitions:

• The term “terrorism” means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated

against noncombatant

targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually

intended to influence an audience.

• The term “international terrorism” means terrorism involving citizens or the territory of more

than one country.

• The term “terrorist group” means any group practicing, or that has significant subgroups that

practice, international terrorism.

The US Government has employed these definitions of terrorism for statistical and analytical

purposes since 1983.

Domestic terrorism is a more widespread phenomenon than international terrorism. Because

international terrorism has a direct impact on US interests, it is the primary focus of this report.

Nonetheless, the report also describes, but does not provide statistics on, significant

developments in domestic terrorism.

Contents

Introduction iii

The Year in Review 1

Africa Overview 3

Angola 3

Ethiopia 6

Liberia 6

For purposes of this definition, the term “noncombatant” is interpreted to include, in addition to civilians, military personnel who at the time of

the incident are unarmed or not on duty. For example, in past reports we have listed as terrorist incidents the murders of the following US military

personnel: Col. James Rowe, killed in Manila in April 1989; Capt. William Nordeen, US defense attache killed in Athens in June 1988; the two

servicemen killed in the La Belle discotheque bombing in West Berlin in April 1986; and the four off-duty US Embassy Marine guards killed in a cafe

in El Salvador in June 1985. We also consider as acts of terrorist attacks on military installations or on armed military personnel when a state of military

hostilities does not exist at the site, such as bombings against US bases in Europe, the Philippines, or elsewhere.

Nigeria 6

Sierra Leone 6

South Africa 6

Uganda 6

Zambia 7

Asia Overview 7

South Asia 7

Afghanistan 7

India 8

Pakistan 8

Sri Lanka 9

East Asia 9

Cambodia 10

Indonesia 10

Japan 11

Philippines 12

Thailand 12

Eurasia Overview 13

Armenia 13

Azerbaijan 13

Georgia 14

Kyrgyzstan 14

Russia 14

Tajikistan 15

Uzbekistan 15

Europe Overview 16

Albania 16

Austria 16

Belgium 17

France 17

Germany 17

Greece 18

Italy 19

Spain 20

Switzerland 20

Turkey 21

United Kingdom 22

Latin America Overview 23

Argentina 24

Colombia 24

Peru 25

Triborder (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay) 25

Middle East Overview 26

Algeria 26

Egypt 27

Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip 27

Jordan 28

Lebanon 30

Saudi Arabia 30

Yemen 32

(Inset) Usama Bin Ladin 31

North America Overview 32

Canada 32

Overview of State-Sponsored Terrorism 33

Cuba 33

Iran 34

Iraq 34

Libya 35

North Korea 36

Sudan 36

Syria 37

(Inset) Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Terrorism 36

Appendixes

A.Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1999 39

B.Background Information on Terrorist Groups 65

C.Statistical Review 101

D.Extraditions and Renditions of Terrorists to the United States 1993-99 107

E.International Terrorist Incidents, 1999 Foldout map

Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1999

The Year in Review

The number of persons killed or wounded in international terrorist attacks during 1999 fell

sharply because of the absence of any attack causing mass casualties. In 1999, 233 persons were

killed and 706 were wounded, as compared with 741 persons killed and 5,952 wounded in 1998.

The number of terrorist attacks rose, however. During 1999, 392 international terrorist attacks

occurred, up 43 percent from the 274 attacks recorded the previous year. The number of attacks

increased in every region of the world except in the Middle East, where six fewer attacks

occurred. There are several reasons for the increase:

• In Europe individuals mounted dozens of attacks to protest the NATO bombing campaign in

Serbia and the Turkish authorities’ capture of Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist leader

Abdullah Ocalan.

• In addition, radical youth gangs in Nigeria abducted and held for ransom more than three dozen

foreign oil workers. The gangs held most of the hostages for a few days before releasing them

unharmed.

Terrorists targeted US interests in 169 attacks in 1999, an increase of 52 percent from 1998. The

increase was concentrated in four countries: Colombia, Greece, Nigeria, and Yemen.

• In Colombia the number of attacks against US targets, including bombings of commercial

interests and an oil pipeline, rose to 91 in 1999.

• In Greece anti-NATO attacks frequently targeted US interests.

• In Nigeria and Yemen, US citizens were among the foreign nationals abducted.

Five US citizens died in these attacks:

• The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) kidnapped three US citizens working

with the U’Wa Indians in Northeastern Colombia on 25 February. Their bodies were found on

4 March and were identified as Terence Freitas, Ingrid Washinawatok, and Lahe’ena’e Gay.

• A group of Rwandan Hutu rebels from the Interahamwe in the Bwindi Impenetrable National

Park in Uganda kidnapped and then killed two US citizens, Susan Miller and Robert Haubner,

on 1 March.

In 186 incidents in 1999, bombings remained the predominant type of terrorist attack. Since

1968, when the United States Government began keeping such statistics, more than 7,000

terrorist bombings have occurred worldwide.

Law Enforcement

The United States brought the rule of law to bear against international terrorists in several

ongoing cases throughout the year:

• On 19 May the US District Court in the Southern District of New York unsealed an

indictment against Ali Mohammed, charging him with conspiracy to kill US nationals overseas.

Ali, suspected of being a member of Usama Bin Ladin’s al-Qaida terrorist organization, had

been arrested in the United States in September 1998 after testifying before a grand jury

concerning the US Embassy bombings in East Africa.

• Authorities apprehended Khalfan Khamis Mohamed in South Africa on 5 October, after a joint

investigation by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Bureau, the Federal Bureau of

Investigation (FBI), and South African law enforcement authorities. US officials brought him

to New York to face charges in connection with the bombing of the US Embassy in Dar Es

Salaam, Tanzania, on 7 August 1998.

• Three additional suspects in the Tanzanian and Kenyan US Embassy bombings currently are

in custody in the United Kingdom, pending extradition to the United States: Khalid Al-

Fawwaz, Adel Mohammed Abdul Almagid Bary, and Ibrahim Hussein Abdelhadi Eidarous.

Eight other suspects, including Usama Bin Ladin, remain at large. The FBI added Bin Ladin to

its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in June. The Department of State’s Rewards for Justice

program pays up to $5 million for information that leads to the arrest or conviction of these

and other terrorist suspects.

• On 15 October, Siddig Ibrahim Siddig Ali was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his role in a

plot to bomb New York City landmarks and to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak

in 1993. Siddig Ali was arrested in June 1993 on conspiracy charges and pleaded guilty in

February 1995 to all charges against him. His cooperation with authorities helped prosecutors

convict Shaykh Umar Abd al-Rahman and nine others for their roles in the bombing

conspiracy.

• In September the US Justice Department informed Hani al-Sayegh, a Saudi Arabian citizen,

that he would be removed from the United States and sent to Saudi Arabia. Authorities

expelled him from the United States to Saudi Arabia on 11 October, where he remains in

custody. He faces charges there in connection with the attack in June 1996 on US forces in

Khubar, Saudi Arabia, that killed 19 US citizens and wounded more than 500 others. Al-

Sayegh was paroled into the United States from Canada in June 1997. After he failed to abide

by an initial plea agreement with the Justice Department concerning a separate case, the State

Department terminated his parole in October 1997 and placed him in removal proceedings.

Africa Overview

Africa in 1999 witnessed no massive terrorist attacks as devastating as the bombings one year

earlier of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, although evidence continued to emerge of

terrorist activity and networks—both indigenous and foreign—on the continent. Terrorist

organizations such as al-Qaida, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Gama’at al-Islamiyya, and

Hizballah posed a threat to US targets and interests throughout Africa and elsewhere. In the

region’s most deadly attack, Rwandan Hutu rebels murdered two US citizens and a number of

tourists in March.

Angola

Insecurity continued to plague Angola in 1999. Angola’s main guerrilla faction, the National

Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), committed several acts of international

terrorism as a tactic in its decades-old insurrection. In January, UNITA guerrillas ambushed a

vehicle, killing one British national, one Brazilian, and two Angolan security guards. On 10

February, UNITA rebels reportedly kidnapped two Portuguese and two Spanish nationals. The

next day, UNITA rebels attacked the scout vehicle for a convoy of diamond mine vehicles, killing

three Angolan security guards and wounding five others. Five Angolan citizens were killed on 14

April when unidentified assailants attacked a Save the Children vehicle in Salina. UNITA’s

bloodiest terrorist assault was the ambush of a German humanitarian convoy near Bocoio on 6

July. Guerrilla forces killed at least 15 persons and injured 25 others.

In addition to assaults on isolated vehicle convoys, UNITA attacked three civilian aircraft in

1999. On 13 May, UNITA rebels claimed they had shot down a privately owned plane and

abducted three Russian crewmembers. UNITA again claimed responsibility for shooting down a

private aircraft on 30 June. One of the five Russian crewmembers died when the aircraft crash

landed near Capenda-Camulemba. Three weeks later, UNITA rebels fired mortars at an

International Committee for the Red Cross aircraft parked at Huambo airport but caused no

injuries or damage.

Cabinda Liberation Front separatists are believed responsible for the kidnapping in mid-March of

one Angolan, two French, and two Portuguese oil workers in the northern enclave of Cabinda. In

past years the separatists have taken hostages to earn ransom and to pressure the Angolan

Government to relinquish control over the region.

Ethiopia

Ogaden National Liberation Front rebels on 3 April kidnapped a French aid worker, two

Ethiopian staff workers, and four Somalis. The next day, the group’s “political secretary”

announced the French hostage had been “pardoned” and was to be released to French diplomats.

Liberia

Two major kidnapping incidents occurred in Liberia in 1999. On 21 April unidentified assailants

crossed the border from Guinea and laid siege to the town of Voinjama, kidnapping the visiting

Dutch Ambassador, a Norwegian diplomat, a European Union representative, and 17 aid

workers. The attackers, whom eyewitnesses said belonged to the United Liberation Movement

for Democracy in Liberia, released all hostages later the same day. In August an armed gang

kidnapped four British nationals, one Norwegian citizen, and one Italian national. The gang

released them unharmed two days later.

Nigeria

Ethnic violence flared in Nigeria during the year as bloody feuds broke out among various

indigenous groups battling for access to and control of limited local resources. Poverty-stricken

Nigerians across the nation, particularly in the oil-producing southern regions, demanded a larger

share of the nation’s oil wealth. Radical ethnic Ijaw youth resorted to violence against oil firms as

a means of expressing their grievances. The gangs abducted more than three dozen foreign oil

workers, including 16 British nationals and four US citizens. The militant youths demanded

ransoms from the victims’ employers as well as compensation from the government on behalf of

their village, ethnic group, or larger community. In most cases the youths held the hostages for

only a few days before releasing them unharmed.

Sierra Leone

Security problems in Sierra Leone spiked during the first half of 1999 as insurgent forces

mounted a last-gasp offensive on the capital in January. Revolutionary United Front (RUF)

rebels took captive several foreign missionaries during the RUF’s siege of Freetown. The failure

of this offensive and a general sense of battle fatigue led guerrilla forces to sign a peace and cease-

fire agreement in July, and Sierra Leone remained relatively calm for the remainder of the year.

Violent flareups occurred sporadically, however, as the government tried to regain control of the

countryside.

The most significant of the post-cease-fire incidents was the kidnapping of more than three

dozen foreign nationals at a rebel demobilization and prisoner exchange ceremony. On 4 August

members of an Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) faction kidnapped 10 United

Nations military observers, 14 regional peacekeepers, and eight civilians. Among the hostages

were 14 Nigerian soldiers, seven British nationals, three Zambians, and two US citizens. The

AFRC militants demanded the release of their leader, Johnny Paul Koromah, and humanitarian

aid. After Koromah assured them that he was not imprisoned in the capital, the AFRC militants

released most of hostages the next day and the rest on 10 August.

South Africa

Islamist militants associated with Qibla and People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD)

continued to conduct bombings and other acts of domestic terror in Cape Town. Only two of the

attacks affected foreign interests, when unidentified youths on 8 and 10 January firebombed

Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Cape Town, causing major damage but no injuries.

Uganda

On 14 February a pipe bomb exploded inside a crowded bar, killing five persons and injuring 35

others. One Ethiopian and four Ugandans died in the blast. Among the injured were two Swiss

nationals, one Pakistani, one US citizen, and 27 Ugandans. Ugandan authorities blamed the

bombing and a number of other terrorist incidents in the capital on Islamist militants associated

with the Allied Democratic Forces based along the border with the Democratic Republic of

Congo.

Rwandan Hutu rebels attacked three tourist camps in the Bwindi National Forest on 1 March,

kidnapping 14 tourists, including three US citizens, six British nationals, three New Zealanders,

one Australian, and one Canadian. The rebels killed two US citizens, four British nationals, and

two New Zealanders before releasing the others the next day. One month later, on 3 April,

suspected Rwandan Hutu rebels based in the Democratic Republic of Congo again crossed over

into Uganda and attacked a village in Kisoro, killing three persons.

Zambia

At least 16 bombs exploded across Lusaka on 28 February. One bomb exploded inside the

Angolan Embassy, killing one person and causing major damage. Other bombs detonated near

major water pipes, around powerlines, and in parks and residential districts, injuring two

persons. There were no claims of responsibility.

Asia Overview

South Asia

In 1999 the locus of terrorism directed against the United States continued to shift from the

Middle East to South Asia. The Taliban continued to provide safehaven for international

terrorists, particularly Usama Bin Ladin and his network, in the portions of Afghanistan they

controlled. Despite the serious and ongoing dialogue between the Taliban and the United States,

Taliban leadership has refused to comply with a unanimously adopted UNSC resolution

demanding that they turn Bin Ladin over to a country where he can be brought to justice.

The United States made repeated requests to Islamabad to end support for elements harboring

and training terrorists in Afghanistan and urged the Government of Pakistan to close certain

Pakistani religious schools that serve as conduits for terrorism. Credible reports also continued to

indicate official Pakistani support for Kashmiri militant groups, such as the Harakat ul-Mujahidin

(HUM), that engaged in terrorism.

In Sri Lanka the government continued its protracted conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil

Eelam (LTTE).

Afghanistan

Islamist extremists from around the world—including North America; Europe; Africa; the Middle

East; and Central, South, and Southeast Asia—continued to use Afghanistan as a training ground

and base of operations for their worldwide terrorist activities in 1999. The Taliban, which

controlled most Afghan territory, permitted the operation of training and indoctrination facilities

for non-Afghans and provided logistic support to members of various terrorist organizations and

mujahidin, including those waging jihads in Chechnya, Lebanon, Kosovo, Kashmir, and else-

where.

Throughout the year, the Taliban continued to host Usama Bin Ladin—indicted in November

1998 for the bombings of two US Embassies in East Africa—despite US and UN sanctions, a

unanimously adopted United Security Council resolution, and other international pressure to

deliver him to stand trial in the United States or a third country. The United States repeatedly

made clear to the Taliban that they will be held responsible for any terrorist acts undertaken by

Bin Ladin while he is in their territory.

In early December, Jordanian authorities arrested members of a cell linked to Bin Ladin’s al-Qaida

organization—some of whom had undergone explosives and weapons training in

Afghanistan—who were planning terrorist operations against Western tourists visiting holy sites

in Jordan over the millennium holiday.

On 25 December the Taliban permitted hijacked Indian Airlines flight 814 to land at Qandahar

airport after refusing it permission to land the previous day. The hijacking ended on 31 December

when the Indian Government released from prison three individuals linked to Kashmiri militant

groups in return for the release of the passengers aboard the aircraft. The hijackers, who had

murdered one of the Indian passengers during the course of the incident, were allowed to go free.

The Taliban stated that the hijackers, who reportedly are Kashmiri militants, would leave

Afghanistan even if they were unable to obtain political asylum from another country. Their

whereabouts remained unknown at yearend.

India

Security problems persisted in India in 1999 from ongoing insurgencies in Kashmir and the

northeast. Kashmiri militant groups continued to attack Indian Government, military, and civilian

targets in India-held Kashmir and elsewhere in the country. The militants probably bombed a

passenger train traveling from Kashmir to New Delhi on 12 November, killing 13 persons and

wounding 50. Militant groups operating in Kashmir also mounted a grenade attack against a

wedding in Srinagar, Kashmir’s summer capital, which wounded at least 20 wedding participants.

In the northeast, Nagaland’s Chief Minister escaped injury on 29 November when a local

extremist group attacked his convoy. The attack killed two of his guards and injured several

others.

The Indian Government took a number of steps against terrorism at home and abroad. In August

the Indian cabinet ratified the international convention for the suppression of terrorist bombings.

New Delhi also introduced a convention on the suppression of terrorism at the UN General

Assembly meeting. Indian law enforcement authorities continued to cooperate with US officials

to ascertain the fate of four Western hostages—including one US citizen— kidnapped in 1995 in

Indian Kashmir, although the hostages’ whereabouts remained unknown. New Delhi announced

in November 1999 the establishment of a US-India Counterterrorism Working Group, which

aimed to enhance efforts to counter international terrorism worldwide.

Pakistan

Pakistan is one of only three countries that maintains formal diplomatic relations with—and one

of several that supported—Afghanistan’s Taliban, which permitted many known terrorists to

reside and operate in its territory. The United States repeatedly has asked Islamabad to end

support to elements that conduct terrorist training in Afghanistan, to interdict travel of militants

to and from camps in Afghanistan, to prevent militant groups from acquiring weapons, and to

block financial and logistic support to camps in Afghanistan. In addition, the United States has

urged Islamabad to close certain madrasses, or “religious” schools, that actually serve as conduits

for terrorism.

Credible reports continued to indicate official Pakistani support for Kashmiri militant groups that

engage in terrorism, such as the Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM). The hijackers of the Air India

flight reportedly belong to one of these militant groups. One of the HUM leaders, Maulana

Masood Azhar, was freed from an Indian prison in exchange for the hostages on the aircraft in the

Air India hijacking in December and has since returned to Pakistan.

Kashmiri extremist groups continued to operate in Pakistan, raising funds and recruiting new

cadre. The groups were responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in 1999 against civilian targets

in India-held Kashmir and elsewhere in India. Pakistani officials from both Prime Minister Nawaz

Sharif’s government and, after his removal by the military, General Pervez Musharraf’s regime

publicly stated that Pakistan provided diplomatic, political, and moral support for “freedom

fighters” in Kashmir—including the terrorist group Harakat ul-Mujahidin—but denied providing

the militants training or materiel.

On 12 November, shortly after the United Nations authorized sanctions against the Taliban, but

before the sanctions were implemented, unidentified terrorists launched a coordinated rocket

attack against the US Embassy, the American center, and possibly UN offices in Islamabad. The

attacks caused no fatalities but injured a guard and damaged US facilities.

Sectarian and political violence remained a problem in 1999 as Sunni and Shia extremists

conducted attacks against each other, primarily in Punjab Province, and as rival wings of an ethnic

party feuded in Karachi. Pakistan experienced a particularly strong wave of such attacks across

the country in August and September. Domestic violence dropped significantly after the military

coup on 12 October.

In the wake of US diplomatic intervention to end the Kargil conflict that broke out in April

between Pakistan and India, several Pakistani and Kashmiri extremist groups stridently

denounced US interference and activities. Jamiat-e-Ulema Islami leaders, for example, reacted to

US diplomacy in the region by harshly and publicly berating US efforts to bring wanted terrorist

Usama Bin Ladin, who is based in Afghanistan, to justice for his role in the 1998 US Embassy

bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. The imposition of US sanctions on 14 November against

Afghanistan’s Taliban for its continued support for Bin Ladin drew a similar response.

Sri Lanka

The separatist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which the United States has

designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization, maintained a high level of violence in 1999,

conducting numerous attacks on government, police, civilian, and military targets. President

Chandrika Kumaratunga narrowly escaped an LTTE assassination attempt in December. The

group’s suicide bombers assassinated moderate Tamil politician Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam in July

and killed 34 bystanders at election rallies in December. LTTE gunmen murdered a Tamil

Member of Parliament from Jaffna representing the Eelam People’s Democratic Party and the

leader of a Tamil military unit supporting the Sri Lankan Army.

Over the year, LTTE attacks against police officers killed 50 and wounded 77. Bombings of

buses, trains, and bus terminals in March, April, and September killed four persons and injured

more than 80, and Sri Lankan authorities attributed several bombings of telecommunications and

power facilities to the LTTE. In July an LTTE suicide diver bombed a civilian passenger ferry

while it was in Trincomalee port, and the group’s Sea Tigers naval wing attacked a Chinese vessel

that had come too close to the Sri Lankan coastline. The LTTE allegedly massacred more than 50

civilians in September, apparently retaliating against a Sri Lankan Air Force bombing that killed

21 Tamil civilians. The LTTE is suspected in the shooting death in Jaffna of a regional military

commander for the progovernment People’s Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE)

and may be responsible for bombings at a PLOTE office and a camp in Vavuniya that killed three

and injured seven.

LTTE activity against the Sri Lankan Government centered on the continuing war in the north.

The Sri Lankan military’s offensive to open and secure a ground supply route through LTTE-

held territory suffered a major defeat when the LTTE fought a series of intense battles in early

November and regained control of nearly all land the government had captured in the past two

years. The battles resulted in thousands of casualties on both sides.

There were no confirmed cases of LTTE or other terrorist groups targeting US citizens or

businesses in Sri Lanka in 1999. Nonetheless, the Sri Lankan Government was quick to cooperate

with US requests to enhance security for US personnel and facilities and cooperated fully with

US officials investigating possible violations of US law by international terrorist organizations.

Battlefield requirements forced Sri Lankan security forces to cancel their participation in a senior

crisis management seminar under the Department of State’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program

in 1999.

East Asia

The scorecard for terrorism in East Asian nations in 1999 was mixed, with some countries

enjoying significant improvements and others suffering an upswing of attacks. The most positive

development occurred in Cambodia, where the Khmer Rouge’s once-deadly threat all but ended

with the group’s dissolution as a viable terrorist organization.

Political disagreements frequently were the inspiration for terrorist acts in East Asia. In Indonesia

the overwhelming East Timor vote in favor of independence provoked violent reprisals by

militias on that island as well as in Jakarta. In addition, a US-owned oil company’s facilities were

targeted in Aceh, Sumatra.

Japan’s Aum Shinrikyo, which was redesignated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in

October, admitted to and apologized for its sarin attack on Tokyo’s subway in 1995. Facing

increasing public pressure, the Japanese Government instituted legal restrictions on the group. In

response, the Aum announced plans to suspend its public activities as of 1 October. The

Government of Japan also continued to seek the extradition of Japanese Red Army (JRA)

members from Lebanon and Thailand.

Several groups in the Philippines engaged in or threatened violent acts. The Communist Party of

the Philippines New People’s Army (CPP/NPA) broke off peace talks in June in retaliation for

the government’s Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States that provides for joint

military training exercises. While the CPP/NPA only threatened to attack US forces, it targeted

Philippine security forces in numerous incidents. Both the separatist group Moro Islamic

Liberation Front (MILF), as well as the redesignated FTO Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), were

blamed for various attacks and kidnappings for ransom.

In Thailand five prodemocracy students staged a takeover on 1 October of the Burmese Embassy

in Bangkok, holding 32 persons hostage, including one US citizen. The incident ended without

violence.

Cambodia

The Khmer Rouge (KR) insurgency ended in 1999 following a series of defections, military

defeats, and the capture of group leader Ta Mok in March. The KR did not conduct international

terrorism in 1999, and the US Government removed it from the list of designated Foreign

Terrorist Organizations. Former KR members, however, still posed an isolated threat in remote

areas of the country. Suspected ex-KR soldiers, for example, attacked a hill tribe in northeastern

Cambodia in July in an apparent criminal incident.

The Cambodian Government worked on drafting a law for the United Nations to assist in

establishing a court to try former KR members who were senior leaders of the regime responsible

for the deaths of up to 2 million persons in Cambodia during the 1975-79 period. A former KR

official warned in September, however, that unrest would resurface if the Cambodian

Government put the KR on trial.

Indonesia

The ballot results on 30 August favoring East Timor’s independence sparked prointegration

militias—armed East Timorese favoring unity with Indonesia—to mount a violent campaign

throughout September against proindependence supporters. A number of militia members

accused the United Nations of manipulating the ballot results, leading some militia units to seek

foreign targets in the province. Incidents included the serious wounding of a US police officer

working for the UN Assistance Mission to East Timor, an attack against the Australian

Ambassador’s vehicle, and an assault against the Australian Consulate in Dili, East Timor’s

capital. Militiamen also allegedly killed a Dutch Financial Times reporter in a Dili suburb on 21

September after his motorcycle driver tried to flee six armed men. In a separate incident the same

day, prointegrationists ambushed a British journalist and a US citizen photographer in Bacau,

east of Dili, but Australian troops later rescued the two.

A prointegration militia leader told former Indonesian Armed Forces Commander General

Wiranto in early September that he would have no regrets about killing nongovernmental

organization or UN persons who supported the proindependence side. Militia threats and attacks

against foreigners, however, dropped dramatically after late September, when the situation began

to stabilize.

Indonesian nationalists, mostly in Jakarta, responded to the referendum and the subsequent

deployment of the International Force for East Timor with protests and low-level violence

against perceived interference in their country’s internal affairs. In late September the Australian

Embassy in Jakarta was the target of almost daily demonstrations that included petrol bombs and

stone throwing. Gunmen fired shots at the Australian Embassy on three separate occasions in

apparent anger over Canberra’s role in the international peacekeeping mission. In addition,

unidentified assailants threw Molotov cocktails at the Australian International School in Jakarta

on 4 October, but no injuries resulted. As of 25 October, pursuant to a UN Security Council

resolution, the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor assumed all legislative

and executive authority in East Timor and responsibility for the administration of justice.

Separatist violence flared in other parts of the country, particularly in Aceh, Sumatra, where the

Free Aceh Movement and its sympathizers clashed with Indonesian security forces throughout

the year. The separatists, demanding a referendum on Aceh independence, primarily attacked

Indonesian targets, but US interests in the province suffered collateral damage. Unidentified

assailants, for example, fired at a Mobil Oil bus and burned a Mobil-operated community health

clinic on two separate occasions in late September. Free Papua Movement separatists located in

Irian Jaya did not attack foreign interests but conducted some violent protests and low-level

attacks against Indonesian targets in 1999.

Several small-scale bombings of undetermined motivation also occurred in Indonesia during the

year, including the attack against the National Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta that injured six persons

on 19 April. In addition, unidentified assailants conducted other bombings that injured several

Indonesians in Jakarta’s city center following the presidential election in October.

Japan

Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese cult that conducted the sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system

in March 1995, continued efforts to rebuild itself in 1999. The group’s recruitment, training,

fundraising—especially a computer business that generated more than $50 million—and property

acquisition, however, provoked numerous police raids and an extensive public backlash that

included protests and citizen-led efforts to monitor and barricade Aum facilities.

In an effort to alleviate public pressure and criticism, Aum leaders in late September announced

the group would suspend its public activities for an indeterminate period beginning 1 October.

The cult openly pledged to close its branch offices, discontinue public gatherings, cease

distribution of propaganda, shut down most of its Internet Web site, and halt property purchases

beyond that required to provide adequate housing for existing members. The cult also said it

would stop using the name “Aum Shinrikyo.” On 1 December, Aum leaders admitted the cult

conducted the sarin attack and other crimes—which they had denied previously—and apologized

publicly for the acts. The cult made its first compensation payment to victims’ families in late

December.

Japanese courts sentenced one Aum member to death and another to life in prison for the subway

attack, while trials for other members involved in the attack remain ongoing. The prosecution of

cult founder Shoko Asahara continued at a sluggish pace, and a verdict remained years away.

Japanese authorities remained concerned over the release in late December of popular former cult

spokesman Fumihiro Joyu—who served a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence for perjury—and

his expected return to the cult as a senior leader. The Japanese parliament in December passed

legislation strengthening government authority to crack down on groups resembling the Aum and

allowing the government to confiscate funds from the group to compensate victims. The Public

Security Investigation Agency stated that it would again seek to outlaw the Aum under the Anti-

Subversive Activities Law. Separately, the Japanese Government continued to seek the

extradition of members of the Japanese Red Army (JRA) from Lebanon and Thailand.

Philippines

The Communist Party of the Philippines New People’s Army (CPP/NPA) broke off peace talks

with the Philippine Government in June after the ratification of the US-Philippine Visiting

Forces Agreement (VFA), which provides a legal framework for joint military training exercises

between Philippine and US armed forces. The CPP/NPA continued to oppose a US military

presence in the country and claimed that the VFA violates the nation’s sovereignty. Communist

insurgents did not target US interests during the year, but a Communist member told the press in

May that guerrillas would target US troops taking part in the joint exercises. Press reporting in

September alleged CPP/ NPA plans to target US Embassy personnel at an unspecified time.

The CPP/NPA continued to target Philippine security forces in 1999. The organization

conducted several ambushes and abductions against Philippine military and police elements in

rural areas throughout the country. The CPP/NPA released most of its hostages unharmed by late

April but still was holding Philippine Army Major Noel Buan and Philippine Police Official

Abelardo Martin at yearend.

The Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB)—a breakaway CPP/NPA faction—claimed responsibility for

a rifle grenade attack on 2 December against Shell Oil’s headquarters in Manila that injured a

security guard. The attack apparently protested an increase in oil prices.

Islamist extremists also remained active in the southern Philippines, engaging in sporadic clashes

with Philippine Armed Forces and conducting low-level attacks and abductions against civilian

targets. The groups did not attack US interests in 1999, however. The Abu Sayyaf Group

(ASG)—redesignated in 1999 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization—in June abducted two

Belgians and held them captive for five days before releasing them unharmed without ransom.

The ASG still was working to fill a leadership void resulting from the death of Abdurajak

Abubakar Janjalani, who was killed in a clash with the Philippine Army on 18 December 1998.

The Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the largest

Philippine Islamist separatist group, marked the opening of peace talks on 25 October.

Nonetheless, both sides continued to engage in low-level clashes. MILF chief Hashim Salamat

told the press in February that the group had received from Usama Bin Ladin funds that it used

to build mosques, health centers, and schools in depressed Muslim communities.

Distinguishing between political and criminal motivation for many of the terrorist-related

activities in the Philippines was difficult, most notably in the numerous cases of kidnapping for

ransom in the south. Both Communist and Islamist insurgents sought to extort funds from

businesses or other organizations in their operating areas, often conducting reprisal operations if

money was not paid. Philippine police officials, for example, said that three separate bomb

attacks in August against a bus company in the southern Philippines may have been the work of

extortionists rather than terrorists.

Thailand

Five prodemocracy students armed with AK-47s and grenades seized the Burmese Embassy in

Bangkok and held 32 hostages on 1 October. The hostages included 20 individuals applying for

visas, one of whom was a US citizen. The terrorists demanded that the Burmese Government

release all political prisoners in Burma and recognize the results of a national election held in

1990. No injuries occurred, and the situation was resolved the next day after the Thai Deputy

Foreign Minister offered himself as a hostage in exchange for the safety of the hostages inside the

Burmese Embassy. The five terrorists and the Deputy Foreign Minister were taken by helicopter

to a remote jungle area on the Thai-Burmese border. The Burmese fled into the jungle. (At least

one and perhaps three of the five were shot to death by Thai security forces on 25 January 2000

after participating in the seizure of a Thai provincial hospital.)

Some low-level bombings and hoax bomb threats also occurred in Thailand during the year,

although no US interests suffered damage. Most of the incidents were directed against Thai

interests, including the bombing of the Democratic Party headquarters in Bangkok on 14 January.

Thai authorities suspect that a bomb found and defused at the construction site of a new post

office in the south on 15 April was planted by members of the separatist New Pattani United

Liberation Organization to avenge government operations against the group.

Eurasia Overview

Five gunmen attacked Armenia’s Parliament in October, killing eight members, including the

Prime Minister and National Assembly Speaker. Later in the year a grenade was thrown at the

Russian Embassy, damaging several cars but causing no injuries.

A major Central Asian regional crisis erupted in Kyrgyzstan when members of the Islamic

Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) twice crossed the border from Tajikistan and took hostages.

Among the several dozen hostages taken in the second incident were four Japanese geologists,

who eventually were released after several nations intervened; ransom was rumored to have been

paid.

Russian cities, including Moscow, were subjected to several bomb attacks, which killed and

injured hundreds of persons. Police accused the attackers of belonging to Chechen and Dagestan

insurgent groups with ties to Usama Bin Ladin and foreign mujahidin but presented no evidence

linking Chechen separatists to the bombings. The attacks prompted Russia to send military

forces into Chechnya to eliminate “foreign terrorists.” Neighboring Caucasus states within the

Russian Federation as well as surrounding countries feared Russia’s military campaign in

Chechnya would increase radicalization of Islamic internal populations and encourage violence

and the spread of instability throughout the region. The Russian campaign into Chechnya also

raised fears in Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as Russia, that the Chechen insurgents increasingly

would use those countries for financial and logistic support.

Uzbekistan experienced several major attacks by IMU insurgents seeking to overthrow the

government. In February five coordinated car bombs exploded, killing 16 persons, in what the

government labeled an attempt on the President’s life. In September the IMU declared a jihad

against the Uzbekistani Government. In November the IMU was blamed for a violent encounter

outside the capital city of Tashkent that killed 10 Uzbekistani Government officials and 15

insurgents.

Armenia

On 27 October five Armenian gunmen opened fire on a Parliament session, killing eight

government leaders, including Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisyan and National Assembly Speaker

Karen Demirchyan. The gunmen claimed they were protesting the responsibility of government

officials for dire social and economic conditions in Armenia since the collapse of the Soviet Union

in 1991. The gunmen later surrendered to authorities and at yearend were being detained with 10

other Armenians accused of complicity. An investigation of the incident was ongoing.

Russian facilities in Armenia also came under attack. On 25 November a grenade was thrown into

the Russian Embassy compound in Yerevan, causing no injuries but damaging several cars.

Azerbaijan

Although Azerbaijan did not face a serious threat from international terrorism, it served as a

logistic hub for international mujahidin with ties to terrorist groups, some of whom supported

the Chechen insurgency in Russia. Azerbaijan increased its border controls with Russia when the

Chechen conflict reignited during the year to prevent foreign mujahidin from operating within its

borders.

Georgia

On 13 October terrorists kidnapped seven UN observers near Abkhazia and demanded a

significant ransom for their release. Georgian officials secured the victims’ freedom within two

days, however, without acceding to the kidnappers’ demands.

Georgia also faced spillover violence from the Chechen conflict and, like Azerbaijan, contended

with international mujahidin seeking to use Georgia as a conduit for financial and logistic

assistance to the Chechen fighters. Russia pressured the Georgian Government to introduce

stronger border controls to stop the flow of men and arms. Russian officials also alleged that

armed Chechen fighters entered Georgia with refugees to hide until a possible Chechen

counterattack against Russia in the spring of 2000.

Violence again colored Georgian domestic politics, especially attacks against senior leaders.

Although no attacks were conducted against the President this year, Georgian security officials

disrupted an alleged coup plot in May, and other prominent officials were the victims or targets

of political and criminal violence.

Kyrgyzstan

International terrorism shocked Kyrgyzstan for the first time in August when armed Islamic

Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) militants twice crossed into Kyrgyzstan and instigated a two-

and-one-half-month hostage crisis. From 6 to 13 August, IMU militants from Tajikistan held four

Kyrgyzstanis hostage in southern Kyrgyzstan before they released them without incident and

retreated to Tajikistan. The militants returned in a larger force on 22 August and seized 13

hostages, including four Japanese geologists, their interpreter, a Kyrgyzstani Interior Ministry

general, and several Kyrgyzstani soldiers. IMU militants continued to arrive in subsequent

weeks, numbering as many as 1,000 at the incursion’s peak.

The IMU’s implicit goal was to infiltrate Uzbekistan and destabilize the government. The

militants first demanded safe passage to Uzbekistan; additional demands called for money and a

prisoner exchange. Uzbekistan refused to allow them to enter, leaving Kyrgyzstan’s ill-prepared

security forces to combat the terrorists with Uzbekistani military assistance, Russian logistic

support, and negotiation assistance from other governments. The militants’ guerrilla tactics

enabled them to maintain their position in difficult mountainous terrain, frustrating the

Kyrgyzstani military’s attempts to dislodge them. Observers speculated that only the approach

of winter forced the militants to retreat into Tajikistan, where negotiators were able to facilitate

an agreement between the IMU and Kyrgyzstani representatives.

On 25 October the militants finally released all hostages except a Kyrgystani soldier they had

executed. Kyrgyzstan released an IMU prisoner, but Kyrgyzstani and Japanese officials denied

Japanese press reports that they paid a monetary ransom for the hostages’ release. Although an

agreement stipulated that all IMU militants would leave Tajikistani territory after the hostage

crisis, some IMU militants may have remained in the region. Central Asian officials and most

external observers feared that a similar IMU incursion into Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan could

occur in the spring, either from bases in Tajikistan or from terrorist camps in Afghanistan.

Russia

In the fall a series of bombings in Russian cities claimed hundreds of victims and raised concern

about terrorism in the Russian Federation. On 4 September a truck bomb exploded in front of an

apartment complex at a Russian military base in Buynaksk, Dagestan, killing 62 persons and

wounding 174. Authorities discovered a second bomb on the base the same day and disarmed it

before it caused further casualties. On 8 and 13 September powerful explosions demolished two

Moscow apartment buildings, killing more than 200 persons and wounding 200 others. The two

Moscow incidents were similar, with explosive materials placed in rented facilities on the ground

floor of each building and detonated by timing devices in the early morning. The string of bomb

attacks continued when a car bomb exploded in the southern Russian city of Volgodonsk on 16

September, killing 17 persons and wounding more than 500 others.

A caller to Russian authorities claimed responsibility for the Moscow bombings on behalf of the

previously unknown “Dagestan Liberation Army,” but no claims were made for the incidents in

Buynaksk and Volgodonsk. Russian police suspected insurgent groups from Chechnya and

Dagestan conducted the bombings at the behest of Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev and the

mujahidin leader known as Ibn al-Khattab, although Russian authorities did not release evidence

to confirm their suspicions. Russian authorities arrested eight individuals and issued warrants for

nine others believed to be hiding in Chechnya but presented no evidence linking Chechen

separatists to the bombings.

In response to the apartment building bombings and to an armed incursion by Basayev and

Khattab into Dagestan from Chechnya, Russian troops entered Chechnya in October in a

campaign to eliminate “foreign terrorists” from the North Caucasus. The forces fighting the

Russian army were mostly ethnic Chechens and supporters from other regions of Russia. They

received some support from foreign mujahidin with extensive links to Middle Eastern, South

Asian, and Central Asian Islamist extremists, as well as to Usama Bin Ladin. At yearend,

Chechen militant activity had been localized in the North Caucasus region, but Russia and

Chechnya’s neighboring states feared increased radicalization of Islamist populations would

encourage violence and spread instability elsewhere in Russia and beyond.

There were few violent political acts against the United States in Russia during the year. Anti-

NATO sentiment during the Kosovo campaign sparked an attack on the US Embassy in Moscow

in late March when a protester unsuccessfully attempted to launch a rocket-propelled grenade

(RPG) at the facility. The perpetrator sprayed the front of the building with machinegun fire

after he failed to launch the RPG. At yearend no progress had been made in identifying or

apprehending the assailant.

Tajikistan

Security for the international community in Tajikistan did not improve in 1999. The US Embassy

in Dushanbe suspended operations in September 1998 because of the Tajikistani Government’s

limited ability to protect the safety of US and foreign personnel there. US personnel were moved

to Almaty, although they travel regularly to Dushanbe.

The IMU’s use of Tajikistan as a staging ground for its incursion into Kyrgyzstan was the most

significant international terrorist activity in Tajikistan in 1999. The IMU militants entered

Kyrgyzstan from bases in Tajikistan and returned to the area with their Japanese and Central

Asian hostages when they fled Kyrgyzstan in late September and October. As part of the

agreement that resolved the incident, the Uzbekistani militants left Tajikistan, although some

IMU fighters may have remained in some regions of the country.

Uzbekistan

On 16 February five coordinated car bombs targeted at Uzbekistani Government facilities

exploded within a two-hour period in downtown Tashkent, killing 16 persons and wounding

more than 100 others. Such an attack was unprecedented in a former Soviet republic. Uzbekistani

officials feared the attacks were aimed at assassinating President Islom Karimov and suspected

the IMU, some of whose members had opposed the Karimov regime for many years. By summer

the government had arrested or questioned hundreds of suspects about their possible involvement

in the bombings. Ultimately the government condemned 11 suspects to death and sentenced more

than 120 others to prison terms.

The IMU threat to Uzbekistan continued, however, with the group’s incursion into Kyrgyzstan

in August. Although the IMU militants did not attack Uzbekistani soil or personnel at the time,

they tried to achieve a foothold in Uzbekistan for future IMU action. The militants in

Kyrgyzstan also publicly declared jihad against the Uzbekistani Government on 3 September.

In November a group of Uzbekistani forest rangers encountered a group of IMU members in a

mountainous region approximately 80 kilometers east of Tashkent. Initially reported to be

bandits, the IMU militants killed four foresters and three Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD)

police. An extensive MVD search-and-destroy operation resulted in the death of 15 suspected

insurgents and three additional MVD special forces officers. During a press conference, the

Minister of the Interior identified some of the insurgents as IMU members who had taken

hostages in Kyrgyzstan in August.

Europe Overview

Europe experienced fewer terrorist incidents and casualties in 1999 than in the previous year.

Strong police and intelligence efforts—particularly in France, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, and

Spain—reduced the threat from Armed Islamic Group (GIA), Revolutionary People’s Liberation

Party/Front (DHKP-C), Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and Basque Fatherland and Liberty

(ETA) terrorists in those countries. Nonetheless, some European governments avoided their

treaty obligations by neglecting to bring PKK terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan to justice during

his three-month stay in Italy. Greece’s performance against terrorists of all stripes continued to

be feeble, and senior government officials gave Ocalan sanctuary and support. There were signs

of a possible resurgence of leftwing and anarchist terrorism in Italy, where a group claiming to be

the Red Brigades took responsibility for the assassination of Italian labor leader Massimo

D’Antono in May.

In the United Kingdom, the Good Friday accords effectively prolonged the de facto peace while

the various parties continued to seek a resolution through negotiations. The Irish Republican

Army’s refusal to abandon its caches of arms remained the principal stumbling block. Some

breakaway terrorist factions—both Loyalist and Republican— attempted to undermine the

process through low-level bombings and other terrorist activity.

Turkey moved aggressively against the deadly DHKP-C, which attempted a rocket attack in June

against the US Consulate General in Istanbul. Following Abdullah Ocalan’s conviction on capital

offenses, PKK terrorist acts dropped sharply. The decrease possibly reflected a second-tier

leadership decision to heed Ocalan’s request to refrain from conducting terrorist activity.

Albania

Despite Albania’s counterterrorist efforts and commitment to fight terrorism, a lack of resources,

porous borders, and high crime rates continued to provide an environment conducive to terrorist

activity. After senior US officials canceled a visit to Albania in June because of terrorist threats,

Albanian authorities arrested and expelled two Syrians and an Iraqi suspected of terrorist

activities. The men had been arrested in February and charged with falsifying official documents

but were released after serving a prison sentence.

In October, Albanian authorities expelled two other individuals with suspected ties to terrorists,

who officially were in the region to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees. Albanian

authorities suspected the two had connections to Usama Bin Ladin and denied them permission

to return to Albania.

Austria

As with many west European countries, Austria suffered a Kurdish backlash in the aftermath of

the arrest of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya on 16 February. Kurdish demonstrators

almost immediately occupied the Greek and Kenyan Embassies in Vienna, vacating the facilities

peacefully the following day. Kurds also held largely peaceful protest rallies in front of the US

chancery and at numerous other locations across the country. PKK followers subsequently

refrained from violence, focusing instead on rebuilding strained relations with the Austrian

Government and lobbying for Ankara to spare Ocalan’s life. In addition to the PKK, the Kurdish

National Liberation Front—a PKK front organization—continued to operate an office in Vienna.

In the fight against domestic terrorism, an Austrian court in March sentenced Styrian-born Franz

Fuchs to life imprisonment for carrying out a deadly letter-bomb campaign from 1993 to 1997

that killed four members of the Roma minority in Burgenland Province and injured 15 persons in

Austria and Germany. Jurors unanimously found that Fuchs was the sole member of the

fictitious “Bajuvarian Liberation Army” on whose behalf Fuchs had claimed to act.

In a shootout in Vienna in mid-September, Austrian police killed suspected German Red Army

Faction (RAF) terrorist Horst Ludwig-Mayer. Authorities arrested his accomplice, Andrea

Klump, and on 23 December extradited her to Germany to face charges in connection with

membership in the outlawed RAF, possible complicity in an attack against the chairman of the

Deutsche Bank, and involvement in an attack against a NATO installation in Spain in 1988.

Belgium

In September, Belgian police raided a safehouse in Knokke belonging to the Turkish terrorist

group DHKP/C and arrested six individuals believed to be involved in planning and support

activities. During the operation officials seized false documents, detonators, small-caliber

weapons, and ammunition. All six detainees filed appeals, and, at yearend, Belgian authorities

released two of them. The Turkish Government requested the extradition of one group member,

Fehriye Erdal, for participating in the murder in 1996 of a Turkish industrialist.

A claim made in the name of the GIA in July threatened to create a “blood bath” in Belgium

“within 20 days” if Belgian authorities did not release imprisoned group members. Brussels took

the threat seriously but showed resolve in not meeting any of GIA’s demands, and no terrorist

acts followed the missed deadline. In addition, a Belgian court in October convicted Farid

Melouk—a French citizen of Algerian origin previously convicted in absentia by a French court

as an accessory in the Paris metro bombings in 1995—for attempted murder, criminal association,

sedition, and forgery and sentenced him to imprisonment for nine years. In the same month,

Belgium convicted a second GIA member, Ibrahim Azaouaj, for criminal association and

sentenced him to two years in prison.

France

France continued its aggressive efforts to detain and prosecute persons suspected of supporting

Algerian terrorists or terrorist networks in France. Paris requested the extradition of several

suspected Algerian terrorists from the United Kingdom, but the requests remained outstanding at

yearend. In addition, the French Government’s nationwide “Vigi-Pirate” plan—launched in 1998

to prevent a repeat of the Paris metro attacks by Algerian terrorists— remained in effect. Under

the plan, military personnel reinforced police security in Paris and other major cities, particularly

at strategic sites such as metro and train stations and during holiday periods. Vigi-Pirate also

increased border controls and expanded identity checks countrywide.

French officials in January and February arrested David Courtailler and Ahmed Laidouni, who

had received training at a camp affiliated with Usama Bin Ladin in Afghanistan. Laidouni, who

also was charged in connection with the “Roubaix” GIA Faction, and Courtailler remained

imprisoned in France, and a French magistrate was investigating their cases, although there is no

known evidence that they were planning a terrorist act.

Prime Minister Lionel Jospin vowed to increase France’s already close and successful

cooperation with Spain to track down ETA terrorists taking refuge in or launching attacks from

France. French officials arrested some of ETA’s most experienced cadre and seized several large

weapons and explosives caches. Nonetheless, in September, ETA militants stole large quantities

of explosives from an armory in Brittany, some of which were later seized from ETA terrorists in

Spain. In late October, French officials arrested ETA terrorist Belen Gonzalez-Penalva, believed

to be involved in the car-bomb attack on 9 September 1985 against Spanish security officials that

also killed a US citizen. Gonzalez’s capture followed a celebrated arrest earlier in September in

southwest France of ETA members who may have been operating with Breton separatists. At

yearend several senior ETA Basque leaders were on trial in Paris.

On the judicial front, a special court in Paris in March tried and convicted in absentia six Libyan

terrorists for their involvement in the bombing in 1989 of UTA flight 772 over Niger and

sentenced them to life imprisonment. The court assessed Libya 211 million French francs to

compensate the victims’ families. By midyear, Libya had transferred the payment to the French

Government. France filed lookout notices for the six convicted terrorists with INTERPOL. A

French court also allowed an investigating magistrate to file a civil suit on behalf of the victims’

families against Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi for his alleged complicity in the UTA affair.

Germany

German officials saw no signs of renewed leftwing terrorism in 1999. The Red Army Faction

(RAF) officially disbanded in March 1998, and authorities uncovered no renewed RAF activity.

Several former RAF members still were wanted by German authorities, who assessed that the

terrorists were willing to use violence to avoid capture. In mid-September, Austrian police in

Vienna killed suspected German RAF terrorist Horst Ludwig-Mayer and arrested his accomplice

Andrea Klump. Klump was extradited to Germany for membership in the outlawed RAF,

possible complicity in an attack on the Deutsche Bank chairman, and involvement in an attack

against a NATO installation in Spain in 1988.

Officials have no evidence of organized, politically motivated rightwing terrorist activity in

Germany, but rightwing “skinheads” continued to attack foreigners in 1999. The government

stepped up efforts to combat xenophobic violence, including trying some skinheads at the federal

level and initiating a program called the “German Forum to Prevent Criminality” to deal with the

social causes of violence. Some German states also set up antiterrorist police units that

successfully reduced attacks by skinheads.

German police took an active stance against terrorism in 1999. On 19 October a special German

commando unit apprehended the hijacker of an Egypt Air flight after the plane landed in

Hamburg. The perpetrator, who requested political asylum in Germany, was slated to be tried in

German courts. Officials had no reason to believe the hijacker was linked to any terrorist

organizations.

Germany showed far less resolve when it refused to seek extradition of PKK terrorist leader

Abdullah Ocalan following his detention in Italy in November 1998 on a German INTERPOL

warrant. The German Government refused to act because it feared that a trial in Germany would

cause widespread street violence, posing an unacceptable threat to Germany’s domestic security.

This and other factors eventually led the Italians to release Ocalan, whose subsequent flight to

Russia and Greece culminated in his capture in Kenya in February. News of Ocalan’s capture

produced violent Kurdish protests throughout Germany, including demonstrations against US

diplomatic facilities and the storming of Greek, Kenyan, and Israeli diplomatic missions. In

Berlin, Israeli security personnel shot to death four protesters who had stormed the Israeli

Consulate General.

On the judicial front, the trial of five suspects charged in the bombing in 1986 against Labelle

Discotheque in Berlin, which killed two US servicemen and one Turkish citizen, progressed

slowly in 1999. The trial may take several more years to reach a conclusion.

On 1 September a German court convicted two members of the leftwing terrorist group “Anti-

Imperialist Cell” and sentenced them to lengthy jail terms for their ties to a series of bombings in

1995 against several German politicians’ residences.

Greece

Greece remained one of the weakest links in Europe’s efforts against terrorism. Greece led

Europe in the number of anti-US terrorist attacks in 1999 and ranked second worldwide only to

Colombia. Greek terrorists committed 20 acts of violence against US Government and private

interests in Greece and dramatically increased their attacks against Greek and third-country

targets. The absence of strong public government leadership and initiatives to improve police

capabilities and morale contributed to the lack of breakthroughs against terrorists. Popular

opinion makers generally downplayed terrorism as a threat to public order, even as terrorists

continued to act with virtual impunity.

In attempting to help PKK terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan find safehaven, senior government

officials facilitated Ocalan’s transit through Greece and provided temporary refuge in the Greek

Ambassador’s residence in Nairobi. The Foreign Minister, the Minister of Public Order, the

Minister of Interior, and the intelligence chief subsequently resigned for their roles in these

actions. After Ocalan’s rendition to Turkey, the Greek Government extended political asylum to

two of Ocalan’s associates. In March the terrorist group Revolutionary Organization 17

November issued a communique blaming the Greek Government, among others, for Ocalan’s

arrest and challenging the US Government to apprehend them.

NATO action against Serbia precipitated several months of violent anti-US and anti-NATO

actions in Greece. From March to May, Western interests suffered some 40 attacks. In early

April a woman attempting to firebomb the US Consulate in Thessaloniki was caught by an alert

Consulate guard, but Greek authorities released the woman after a few days’ detention with a

nominal fine. The incident was the only arrest by Greek authorities for a terrorist act committed

in 1999. Later in the month, Greek police defused a bomb outside the Fulbright Foundation in

Thessaloniki. On 27 April a bomb exploded at the Intercontinental Hotel in Athens, killing one

Greek citizen and injuring another; a terrorist group known as Revolutionary Nuclei claimed

responsibility. Numerous bomb and other threats against the US Embassy, Consulate, and the

American Community School proved to be hoaxes. In response to these incidents, the US

Government issued a public announcement in April advising US citizens and travelers of the

security conditions in Greece.

Although it never claimed responsibility, 17 November is suspected of conducting seven rocket

attacks and bombings against US, Greek, and third-country interests from March through May.

The targets included two offices of the governing PASOK party; American, British, and French

banks; and the Dutch Ambassador’s residence. A rocket attack in May on the German

Ambassador’s residence yielded excellent forensic evidence, but the Greek police did not follow

up aggressively and made no arrests.

Numerous other terrorist attacks during the year involved the use of improvised explosive or

incendiary devices or drive-by shootings from motorcycles. President Clinton’s visit to Greece in

November precipitated violent and widespread anti-US demonstrations and attacks against US,

Greek, and third-country targets.

Greece and the United States signed a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and, at yearend, nearly

had completed a police cooperation agreement. Newly appointed Minister of Public Order

Chrysochoidis met in July with US Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Ambassador Michael

Sheehan, to discuss improving counter-terrorist cooperation. In an October visit to Washington,

Chrysochoidis outlined plans to modernize the Greek counterterrorist police. By yearend these

promised reforms had not yet yielded results. Greek counter-terrorist cooperation with the

United States and other Western nations will require substantially greater attention and

commitment if Greece is to achieve success.

On 23 December, Greek narcotics police arrested Avraam Lesperoglou, a suspect in six murders

and one attempted murder from the 1980s, after he arrived at Athens airport under a false name.

Lesperoglou was sentenced to three and one half years on misdemeanor charges relating to his

false documents and illegal entry; a trial was pending on the more serious charges. Lesperoglou

was believed to be linked to Revolutionary People’s Struggle and possibly other terrorist groups.

Italy

The major domestic terrorist act in 1999 was the murder in May of Massimo D’Antona, an

adviser to Italy’s Labor Minister, by individuals who claimed to be from the Red Brigades,

despite the leftist group’s dormancy since 1988. Prime Minister D’Alema subsequently said

Italy had let down its guard on domestic terrorism in the mistaken belief that homegrown terrorist

groups no longer posed a danger. He added that Rome was now working hard to identify and

neutralize the group that killed D’Antona.

In spite of that attack, Italy achieved some success against domestic terrorism during the year.

Italian law enforcement and judicial officials arrested and sentenced several individuals tied to

terrorist groups, while magistrates requested that many more cases be opened in the year 2000. A

notable success for Italian security was a raid against the instigators of the demonstration on 13

May at the US Consulate in Florence protesting NATO airstrikes in Kosovo. The instigators

included several members of the Red Brigades, Lotta Continua (The Continuous Struggle), and the

Cobas Union.

The Italian Government dealt ineptly in the matter of PKK terrorist leader Ocalan, who arrived in

Rome in November 1998 and requested political asylum. Italian authorities detained him on an

international arrest warrant Germany had issued but declined a Turkish extradition request

because Italy’s Constitution prohibits extradition to countries that permit capital punishment.

The Italian Government sought unsuccessfully to find a European trial venue while declining to

invoke the 1977 European counterterrorist convention to prosecute Ocalan in Italy. Unable to

find a third country willing to take the PKK leader, the government simply told Ocalan he no

longer was welcome in Italy.

Ocalan eventually left for Russia with the apparent assistance of Italian officials, beginning an

odyssey that culminated in his capture by Turkish security forces in Kenya in February.

Following Ocalan’s arrest, PKK and other Kurdish sympathizers held demonstrations—some

violent—in several Italian cities, including the Greek consulate in Milan. Since February,

however, PKK followers were nonviolent and focused on rebuilding strained relations with the

Italian Government and lobbying for Ankara to spare Ocalan’s life.

The NATO bombing campaign against Serbia produced leftwing anger and some anti-US violence.

The leftist Anti-imperialist Territorial Nuclei, which formed in 1995 and was believed to be allied

with former Red Brigades members, held several anti-NATO, anti-US demonstrations. Militant

leftists conducted some low-level violence against US interests, such as vandalizing the US

airbase at Aviano, and issued public threats to US businesses located in Italy.

Spain

The terrorist group ETA ended its 14-month-old unilateral cease-fire on 27 November, and

members of the group conducted low-level attacks in December. Spanish security authorities

intercepted two vans loaded with explosives and reportedly headed for Madrid, detaining one

driver. ETA and Spanish Government representatives met in Switzerland in May but could not

find common ground. The ETA had hoped to use the talks to make progress toward its goal of

Basque self-determination and eventual independence, while Madrid pushed for the ETA to

declare a permanent end to terrorism and renewed its offer for relief for the group’s prisoners and

exiles.

The Spanish Government energetically combated the ETA even as it sought a dialogue with the

terrorist group. Spanish law enforcement officials, working closely with counterparts in France

and other countries where ETA fugitives reside, arrested several of the group’s most experienced

leaders and cadre and shut down one of its last known commando cells. Spanish and French

security forces also confiscated large amounts of explosives, weapons, logistics, and targeting

information. Moreover, in late October, French authorities arrested terrorist Belen Gonzalez-

Penalva, believed to be involved in the car-bomb attack in 1985 against Spanish security officials

that also killed a US citizen. Madrid’s request for extradition of accused ETA terrorist Ramon

Aldasoro from the United States was delayed by court appeals in 1998. Aldasoro finally was

extradited to Spain in late December 1999.

Spain’s other domestic terrorist group, the First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Group

(GRAPO), remained largely inactive in 1999, mounting only a few symbolic attacks against

property. The last major case involving GRAPO, the kidnapping of a Zaragoza businessman in

July 1995, remained unsolved.

Switzerland

On 29 January, Swiss authorities arrested Red Brigades activist Marcello Ghiringhelli and a Swiss

accomplice on suspected violations of the war materiels law. Police seized several weapons and

rounds of ammunition. The trial started in La Chaux-de-Fonds in December. Italy requested the

extradition of Ghiringhelli, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in Italy.

Switzerland also was caught in the Kurdish backlash in the aftermath of Ocalan’s apprehension in

Kenya on 16 February. That day about 70 Kurds stormed the Greek Consulate in Zurich, taking

hostage a policeman and the building’s owner. The same day, 30 to 100 Kurds occupied the

Greek Embassy in Bern while another 200 protesters gathered outside. The occupiers carried

canisters of gasoline and threatened to immolate themselves but did not follow through. Both

incidents ended peacefully.

On 19 February several Kurds took two persons hostage at the Free Democratic Party

Headquarters in Bern but released them unharmed a few hours later. The Swiss Government

prosecuted the hostage takers in Bern and Zurich but took no further action against the Kurdish

protesters in the Greek Embassy because the Greek Embassy did not press charges for

trespassing or property damage. On 20 February, PKK sympathizers carried out several arson

attacks against Turkish-owned businesses and torched two trucks from Turkey in Basel. At

yearend, police investigations were pending. Since February, however, PKK followers were

nonviolent, focusing instead on rebuilding strained relations with the Swiss Government and

lobbying Ankara to spare Ocalan’s life.

Ocalan’s arrest, as well as the conflict in Kosovo, gave rise to several demonstrations in front of

the US Embassy in Bern. The Swiss Government took no action to ban the events because the

protests were organized lawfully, although not always conducted as the organizers had promised.

Bern, however, called up approximately 500 Swiss militia from March to November to guard the

US and UN missions and other embassies considered to be potential terrorist targets.

Turkey

Turkish authorities struck a significant blow against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorism

in mid-February when PKK Chairman Abdullah Ocalan was apprehended after he left his

safehaven in the Greek Ambassador’s residence in Nairobi, Kenya. The Turkish State Security

Court tried Ocalan in Turkey in late June and sentenced him to death for treason, a decision the

Supreme Court of Appeals upheld in a ruling issued on 25 November. The government took no

further action on the sentence in 1999, although Turkish law requires that all death sentences be

ratified by Parliament and endorsed by the President. Ocalan’s lawyers requested the European

Court of Human Rights (ECHR) review the case. The ECHR asked Turkey to delay a decision on

whether Ocalan should be executed until the Court completed its review.

Meanwhile, Ocalan launched a “peace offensive” in early August, requesting a dialogue with

Ankara and calling on PKK militants to end the armed struggle against Turkey and withdraw

from Turkish territory. The PKK’s political wing quickly expressed support for the move, and

press reports indicated that several hundred militants had left Turkey by October. In December,

Turkish General Staff Chief Kivrikoglu said that 500 to 550 PKK militants remained in Turkey.

Although the PKK exodus to neighboring Iran, Iraq, and Syria is an annual event, it usually starts

later in the fall, suggesting that the withdrawal in 1999 was tied to Ocalan’s announcement. In

addition, two groups of about eight PKK members each turned themselves in to Turkish

authorities in October and November as a gesture of goodwill and as a means of testing a new

Turkish repentance law.

The leftwing Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) fell victim to numerous

Turkish counter-terrorist operations in 1999. Turkish police killed two DHKP/C members in a

shootout on 4 June as the terrorists prepared unsuccessfully to fire a light antitank weapon at the

US Consulate in Istanbul from a nearby construction site. Authorities also arrested some 160

DHKP/C members and supporters in Turkey and confiscated numerous weapons, ammunition,

bombs, and bombmaking materials over the course of the year, dealing a harsh blow to the orga-

nization.

Turkish authorities continued to arrest and try Islamist terrorists vigorously in 1999.

Nonetheless, militants from the two major groups—Turkish Hizballah, a Kurdish group not

affiliated with Lebanese Hizballah, and the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders-Front—managed to

conduct low-level attacks.

Meanwhile, there were at least two attempted bombings against Russian interests in Turkey

during 1999. On 10 December authorities discovered a bomb outside a building housing the

offices of the Russian airline Aero-flot in Istanbul. The bomb weighed approximately 14

kilograms, was concealed in a suitcase, and was similar to a bomb found on the grounds of the

Russian Consulate in Istanbul in mid-November. Turkish officials suspect that Chechen

sympathizers were responsible.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom continued its aggressive efforts against domestic and international terrorism

in 1999. In December the Blair Government introduced new national antiterrorist legislation

meant to replace laws that had been developed to combat terrorism in Northern Ireland. The bill,

which is expected to become law by midsummer 2000, would extend most provisions of earlier

laws to all forms of international and domestic terrorism. The police would have authority to

arrest, detain, confiscate evidence, and seize cash suspected of being used to fund terrorist

activities and designated terrorist organizations. The legislation includes provisions for

proscribing membership in terrorist groups.

The United Kingdom continued its close cooperation with the United States to bring terrorists to

justice. In 1999 the British Government detained numerous individuals suspected of conducting

anti-US violence and whom the United States sought to extradite. At yearend, the United

Kingdom was holding three of the 15 individuals indicted in the Southern District of New York

on charges connected with the bombings in 1998 of the US Embassies in Nairobi and Dar Es

Salaam.

In April the Libyan Government handed over the two Libyans charged with the bombing in 1988

of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, after a joint US-UK initiative enabled a Scottish

court to sit in the Netherlands to try the accused. Scottish authorities intend to charge the two

Libyans with murder, breach of the UK aviation security act, and conspiracy. The trial was set to

begin in May 2000.

In the immediate aftermath of the arrest in February of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya,

PKK members and supporters staged violent demonstrations in London, and militants occupied

the Greek Embassy for two days. British officials subsequently arrested 79 individuals and

suspended the broadcast license for Med-TV, a Kurdish satellite television station tied to the

PKK. Following subsequent broadcasts that were deemed inflammatory, authorities revoked

Med-TV’s license. Since February, PKK followers were peaceful, focusing instead on rebuilding

strained relations with the British Government and lobbying for Ankara to spare Ocalan’s life.

Washington’s ties to London and Dublin played a key role in facilitating historic political

developments in the Northern Ireland peace process that resulted in a significant decline in

terrorist activity. Following a year of intense negotiations and a review of the entire peace

process by former US Senator George Mitchell, Britain devolved power to Ulster, and Ireland,

gave up its constitutional claim to Northern Ireland; the Catholic and Protestant parties agreed to

govern Ulster together in a joint Executive, which held its inaugural meeting on 13 December.

Much of the contention between the parties was, and remains, about how to address the

implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, including the issue of decommissioning

paramilitary weapons.

Republican and Loyalist paramilitary splinter groups, including the Continuity IRA, the Real

IRA, the Red Hand Defenders, and the Orange Volunteers, continued terrorist activities during

the year. These included punishment attacks on civilians as well as actions against police,

military, and security personnel. Among the most heinous attacks was the car-bombing murder

on 15 March of Rosemary Nelson, a prominent lawyer and human rights campaigner. Although it

is widely assumed that hardline loyalist paramilitaries were responsible, no charges were filed in

the case. The British Government said that a scaling back or normalization of the security

presence in Northern Ireland will be linked to a reduction of the security threat there.

Latin America Overview

Although much of Latin America continued to be free from terrorist attacks, Colombia, Peru, and

the triborder region experienced terrorist activity. In Colombia, insurgent and paramilitary

terrorist groups continued to pose a significant threat to the country’s national security and to

the security of innocent civilians caught up in the conflict. Despite the beginnings of a slow and

sometimes unsure peace process, Colombia’s two largest guerrilla groups, the Revolutionary

Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN), failed to moderate

their terrorist attacks. The ELN carried out several high-profile kidnappings, including the

hijacking in April of an aircraft carrying 46 persons and the kidnapping in May of a church

congregation that resulted in 160 hostages. The FARC increased its attacks on Colombian

security officials and attempted to use kidnapped soldiers and police officers as bargaining chips

in negotiations. The FARC also kidnapped and killed three US nongovernmental organization

workers in March and outraged international public opinion by refusing to turn over the

perpetrators to the proper judicial authorities. The FARC continued refusing to account for the

three New Tribes Missionaries it kidnapped in 1993.

Over the year, US concern grew over the involvement of the FARC, the ELN, and paramilitary

groups in protecting narcotics trafficking. Estimates of the profits to terrorist groups from their

involvement in narcotics ranged into the hundreds of millions of dollars. During 1999 the

Colombian Army trained, equipped, and fielded its first counternarcotics battalion, designed to

support national police efforts to break terrorist links to narcotics production.

In a development in the investigation of the bombing in 1992 of the Israeli Embassy, the Supreme

Court of Argentina released in May a report identifying the cause as a car bomb and issued an

international arrest warrant for Hizballah terrorist leader Imad Mughniyah. Argentine authorities

similarly brought charges against all suspects being held in connection with the bombing of the

Argentine-Israeli Community Center (AMIA) in 1994.

Peru’s determination to combat terrorism diminished the capabilities of both the Sendero

Luminoso (SL) and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). Peruvian authorities

arrested and prosecuted several of the few remaining active SL members in 1999, including

Principal Regional Committee leader Oscar Alberto Ramirez Durand. Nonetheless, the SL

continued to attack government targets in the Peruvian countryside. A particularly deadly

skirmish occurred in November, leaving five soldiers and six guerrilla fighters dead. The MRTA

has not conducted a major terrorist operation since the end of the hostage crisis at the Japanese

Ambassador’s residence in Lima in April 1997.

Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay consolidated efforts to stem the illicit activities of individuals

linked to Islamist terrorist groups in the triborder region and cooperated in promoting regional

counterterrorist efforts. Argentina led efforts to create the Inter-American Committee on

Counterterrorism within the Organization of American States (OAS).

Argentina

Investigations continued into the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in 1992 and the terrorist attack

against the Argentine-Israeli Community Center (AMIA) in 1994, both in Buenos Aires. In May

the Argentine Supreme Court released a report concluding that the attack on the Israeli Embassy

was a car bomb and issued an international arrest warrant for Hizballah terrorist leader Imad

Mughniyah. The investigating judge in the AMIA case determined in February that there was

insufficient evidence to continue holding an Iranian woman for possible complicity in the

bombing. In July, Argentine authorities brought charges against all suspects then held in

connection with the bombing, but at yearend the trials had yet to begin.

The Argentine Government was one of the primary motivators in the creation of the Inter-

American Committee on Counterterrorism within the Organization of American States.

Colombia

The nascent and slow-moving peace process did not prompt Colombia’s two largest guerrilla

groups, the FARC and the ELN, or their paramilitary opponents to reduce their terrorist activity.

Bogota’s exclusion of the ELN in talks it began with the FARC was a factor in the ELN’s series

of spectacular hijackings and kidnappings—including the Avianca hijacking in April that netted

41 hostages, including one US citizen, and the Cali church kidnapping in May that took 160

hostages. With these acts the ELN sought to demonstrate its continued viability and induce

President Andres Pastrana to include it in the peace process as an equal. For its part, the FARC

escalated insurgent violence targeting security officials to demonstrate its power and strengthen

its negotiating position.

Colombian insurgent groups and paramilitaries continued to fund their activities by protecting

narcotics traffickers. Estimates of the profits to terrorist groups from their involvement in

narcotics ranged into the hundreds of millions of dollars. In 1999 the Colombian Army trained,

equipped, and fielded its first counternarcotics battalion, designed to support national police

efforts to break terrorist links to narcotics production.

The FARC and ELN also generated income by kidnapping Colombians and foreigners for ransom

and extorting money from businesses and individuals in the Colombian countryside. In addition,

both insurgent groups attacked the nation’s energy infrastructure—including US commercial

interests—by bombing oil pipelines and destroying the electric power grid. US citizens who fell

victim to guerrilla terrorism, including three Indian rights workers the FARC kidnapped in

Colombia and murdered in Venezuela in March, were targeted because of wealth or opportunity

rather than their nationality. The whereabouts of the three New Tribes missionaries kidnapped

by the FARC in 1993 remain unknown.

In December, President Pastrana extended the FARC’s demilitarized zone (DMZ) through 7 June

2000. Reports of FARC abuses inside the DMZ continued to reduce the FARC’s popularity.

Colombia’s peace commissioner asserted that Bogota would not enter official peace talks or a

“National Convention” with the ELN until all remaining hostages were released.

Peru

In 1999 the Peruvian judicial system continued to prosecute vigorously persons accused of

committing acts of international and domestic terrorism. Peruvian authorities arrested and

prosecuted several of the few remaining active SL members in 1999, including Principal Regional

Committee leader Oscar Alberto Ramirez Durand (a.k.a. Feliciano). Feliciano had headed the

decimated group since the capture in 1992 of its founder and leader Abimael Guzman, and his

arrest dealt a mortal blow to one of the region’s most violent rebel groups.

Peru’s tough antiterrorist legislation and improved military intelligence diminished the capabilities

of both the SL and the MRTA. Both groups failed to launch a significant terrorist operation in

Lima in 1999 and generally limited their activities to low-level attacks and propaganda in the rural

areas. The SL continued to attack government targets in the Peruvian countryside. Deadly clashes

between the SL and the military continued in the central and southern regions as soldiers pursued

two columns of approximately 60 to 80 rebels, led by “Comrade Alipio,” through the southern

jungle region. A particularly deadly skirmish occurred in November, leaving five soldiers and six

guerrilla fighters dead. The MRTA has not conducted a major terrorist operation since the end of

the hostage crisis at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence in Lima in April 1997.

The Government of Peru requested the extradition of SL member and suspected terrorist Cecilia

Nunez Chipana from Venezuela. The Government of Uruguay informed Peru that MRTA

member Luis Alberto Samaniego, whom Uruguay refused to extradite in 1996, had disappeared.

Triborder Region: Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay

In 1999 the Governments of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay consolidated efforts to stem the

illicit activities of individuals linked to Islamist terrorist groups in the triborder region and

continued to cooperate actively in promoting regional counterterrorist efforts. Despite some

success, however, the triborder remained the focal point for Islamist extremism in Latin America.

Middle East Overview

Middle Eastern terrorist groups and their state sponsors continued to plan, train for, and carry

out acts of terrorism in 1999 at a level comparable to that of the previous year. Casualties

remained relatively low, partly as result of counterterrorist measures by various governments,

improved international cooperation, and the absence of major incidents that might have caused

high numbers of fatalities. Nonetheless, certain terrorist groups remained active and continued to

try to mount lethal attacks. These included Usama Bin Ladin’s multinational al-Qaida

organization as well as The Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) and Palestinian Islamic

Jihad (PIJ), both of which receive support from Iran.

In Egypt, for the first time in years, there were no terrorism-related deaths, due in large measure

to successful counterterrorist efforts by the Egyptian Government and a cease-fire declared by

the Gama’at al-Islamiyya, Egypt’s largest terrorist group. Egyptian authorities released more

than 2,000 Gama’at prisoners during the year but continued to arrest and convict other active

Gama’at terrorists as well as Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) members. The EIJ continued to

threaten Egyptian and US interests despite the eruption of internal schisms that wracked the

group during the year.

The Algerian Government also made progress in combating domestic terrorism during the year,

undertaking aggressive counterinsurgency operations against the Armed Islamic Group (GIA),

weakening the GIA’s campaign of indiscriminate violence against civilians. The pace of killings

slowed, but suspected GIA militants still carried out massacres, the worst of which left 27 dead

in a village in Bechar in August. The Islamic Salvation Army maintained its cease-fire throughout

the year.

Palestinians and Israeli Arabs opposed to the peace process mounted small-scale terrorist attacks

in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, injuring a small number of civilians. Several failed bombing

attempts were traced to HAMAS and the PIJ. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA)

scored successes in their efforts to disrupt these groups’ operations; Israeli officials publicly

credited the PA with preventing a bombing in Tel Aviv in March.

Jordanian authorities in December arrested a group of terrorists associated with Usama Bin

Ladin’s al-Qaida organization reportedly planning to attack US and Israeli targets in connection

with millennium events. Jordan also closed the Amman offices of the HAMAS political bureau in

August, arrested a number of HAMAS activists, and expelled several group leaders.

Overall security conditions in Lebanon continued to improve in 1999, despite several local

terrorist incidents that included the assassination of four judges in Sidon in June. The lack of

effective government control in parts of Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon enabled

numerous terrorist groups to operate with impunity, as they had in previous years. Hizballah,

HAMAS, the PIJ, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command

(PFLP–GC), and other Palestinian groups used camps in Lebanon for training and operational

planning. Hizballah continued to fire rockets from southern Lebanon at civilian centers in Israel.

The Lebanese Government remained unresponsive to US requests for cooperation in bringing to

justice terrorists responsible for attacks on US citizens in the 1980s.

Iran, Syria, and Iraq all persisted in their direct or indirect state sponsorship of terrorism. In most

cases, the support included providing assistance, training, or safehaven to terrorist groups

opposed to the Middle East peace process. In some cases, particularly Iran, it also included

targeting regime dissidents and opponents for assassination or harassment. Libyan support for

terrorism has declined significantly in recent years, but Libya continued to have residual contacts

and relationships with terrorist organizations.

Algeria

The Government of Algeria in 1999 made significant progress in combating domestic terrorism,

which President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said has claimed approximately 100,000 lives since

Islamist extremists began their brutal campaign to overthrow the secular regime in 1992. As a

result, terrorist attacks—especially against civilians—decreased significantly. Increased

factionalization within the ranks of Antar Zouabri’s Armed Islamic Group (GIA) and Hassan

Hattab’s dissident faction, the Salafi Group for Call and Combat (GSPC), contributed further to

the reduction in terrorist activity. Bouteflika, who in April replaced President Liamine Zeroual,

initiated an amnesty plan under the Law on Civil Concord that is intended to expand the cease-

fire with the Islamic Salvation Army that took effect in October 1997. At yearend the

government was attempting to convince the GSPC to surrender, but dissidents within the GSPC

and the GIA—which denounced the reconciliation plan and vowed to continue fighting—were

attempting to thwart those efforts.

No foreign nationals were killed in Algeria during the year. Although the tempo of violence in

Algeria decreased noticeably in 1999, the killings continued. The worst terrorist incident occurred

on 17 August when suspected GIA extremists massacred 27 civilians in Bechar near the

Moroccan border. In November a senior official of the banned Islamic Salvation Front,

Abdelkader Hachani, was assassinated. Other massacres and acts of violence continued

throughout the year.

Egypt

No terrorist-related deaths were reported in Egypt in 1999. In early September, a lone assailant

attacked President Hosni Mubarak during a campaign rally in Port Said. Mubarak was wounded

slightly, but it is unclear whether the attack had links to terrorism. The absence of international

terrorist incidents in 1999 is attributable in part to the unilateral cease-fire that Egypt’s largest

terrorist group, al-Gama’at al-Islamiyya, issued in March and in part to successful Egyptian

counterterrorist efforts. Al-Gama’at’s incarcerated spiritual leader, Shaykh Umar Abd al-

Rahman, initiated the cease-fire, which senior Gama’at leaders imprisoned in Egypt later

endorsed. Al-Gama’at’s external leaders also endorsed the cease-fire in an attempt to negotiate

with the Egyptian Government for the release of their jailed comrades. Although Cairo said

publicly it would not negotiate with al-Gama’at, it released more than 2,000 Gama’at prisoners

during the year. The Egyptian Government continued to arrest other Gama’at members in Egypt,

and security officials in September disrupted a Gama’at cell outside Cairo, resulting in the death

of Farid Kidwani, the group’s operational leader in Egypt.

The Egyptian Government tried and convicted more than 100 Egyptian extremists in April,

including Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) members responsible for planning an attack against the US

Embassy in Albania in August 1998. A faction of the EIJ closely allied to Usama Bin Ladin’s

organization continued to levy threats against the United States.

Gama’at leader Rifa’i Taha Musa—who is closely associated with Bin Ladin—broke ranks with

other Gama’at leaders, threatening anti-US action in October and warning in late November of

another attack similar to the one at Luxor in November 1997 that killed 58 foreign tourists.

International counterterrorist cooperation remained a key foreign policy priority for the Egyptian

Government in 1999.

Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip

Violence and terrorism by Palestinian groups opposed to the peace process continued in 1999.

Throughout the year, HAMAS and the PIJ were responsible for numerous small-scale attacks,

such as shootings and stabbings, although the number of incidents continued to decline from

previous years. Among the more notable attacks were two failed bombing attempts in Haifa and

Tiberias on 5 September carried out by Israeli Arabs working on behalf of HAMAS’s military

wing. The bombs—intended for Israeli buses—exploded prematurely, killing three of the

perpetrators and injuring two Israelis.

Other terrorist incidents included a shooting in early August in Hebron that injured two Israeli

settlers; a double murder of a young Israeli couple hiking near Megiddo in late August; and

several explosions of homemade pipe bombs in Netanya in August, November, and December,

one of which injured more than 30 Israelis. In mid-August a West Bank Palestinian, who was

reported to have been inspired by literature on HAMAS, rammed his car into a group of

hitchhiking Israeli soldiers, injuring at least 11. In late October a shooting attack on a bus near the

Tarqumiya junction wounded five Israelis.

Israel continued vigorous counterterrorist operations, including numerous arrests and seizures of

weapons and explosives. In early May, Israeli officials uncovered a plan to smuggle several

wanted Palestinians—who were carrying paraphernalia for manufacturing bombs—from Gaza

into Israel. In mid-August, Israeli authorities apprehended seven members of a PIJ cell near Janin

who admitted to perpetrating four attacks on Israelis dating back to 1998. Israeli authorities also

captured a four-man PIJ squad in late August as the men tried to infiltrate into Israel to carry out

a suicide mission. In mid-December an undercover unit of the Israeli Defense Force killed two

HAMAS members—one of whom was a leader of the group’s military wing—in a shootout near

Hebron. Authorities detained three other HAMAS militants in the incident.

The Palestinian Authority (PA), which was responsible for security in Gaza and most major

West Bank cities, continued to act against Palestinian perpetrators of violence against Israel. The

PA’s security forces preempted several terrorist attacks over the year, including the arrests in

mid-May of two close associates of a senior HAMAS military leader and, in early June, of 10

HAMAS members who planned to carry out anti-Israeli bombings. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud

Barak and other senior officials publicly acknowledged the continuing improvement in Israeli-PA

security cooperation. Israeli security officials publicly credited the Palestinian security services

for foiling a terrorist bombing in Tel Aviv in March and for preventing at least two attacks

against Israeli civilians in October. The PA also sought more actively to develop leads about

HAMAS and PIJ activity and acted—in some cases—in cooperation with Israel to disrupt the

groups’ activities. While the PA’s counterterrorist campaign showed improvement, it continued

to face challenges from the resilient terrorist infrastructure of groups opposed to the peace

process.

In early September the PA and Israel signed a follow-on accord to the Wye agreement at Sharm

el-Sheikh, which reaffirmed a number of provisions regarding security cooperation.

Jordan

There were no major international terrorist attacks in Jordan in 1999. Jordan continued its strong

counterterrorist stand, highlighted by the arrests in December of several extremists reportedly

planning terrorist attacks against US and Israeli tourists during millennium celebrations in Jordan,

its crackdown on HAMAS in August, and its quick response to various security incidents in the

latter part of the year.

In early December, Jordanian authorities arrested a group of Jordanians, an Iraqi, and an Algerian

with ties to Bin Ladin’s al-Qaida organization who reportedly were planning to carry out

terrorist operations against US and Israeli tourists visiting Jordan over the new year. The

Jordanians in mid-December took custody of Khalil al-Deek, a dual US-Jordanian citizen arrested

in Pakistan, who allegedly had links to the arrested group. Some group members had undergone

explosives and weapons training in Afghanistan, according to Jordanian authorities.

In late August, Jordanian authorities closed the HAMAS Political Bureau offices in Amman,

detained 21 HAMAS members, and issued arrest warrants for the group’s senior Jordan-based

leaders, three of whom were in Iran at the time. Jordanian officials arrested two of the HAMAS

officials—Jordanian citizens Khalid Mishal and Ibrahim Ghawsha—upon their return to Amman

in September and refused entry to a third—Musa Abu Marzuq, who holds Yemeni citizenship.

Jordanian authorities in November expelled Mishal, Ghawsha, and two other members to Qatar;

released the remaining detainees; and announced that the HAMAS offices would remain closed

permanently. Charges against the HAMAS officials included possession of weapons and

explosives for use in illegal acts—crimes that can carry the death penalty.

Several low-level incidents kept security forces focused on combating threats to the Kingdom.

Police in Ma’an detained approximately 60 suspects in connection with the firebombings on 25

October of cars belonging to professors at al-Hussein University and Ma’an Community College

and a machinegun attack two days later on a female student residence at al-Hussein University.

Leaflets distributed by a group calling itself the “Islamic Awakening Youths” charged that the

professors were masons and that the female students fraternized with men. The assailants

appeared to have ties to the outlawed al-Tahrir movement, which was the target of a government

crackdown in 1998.

In late November, Jordanian authorities arrested a 22-year-old Jordanian of Palestinian descent

who had pointed a fake gun at the Israeli Embassy in Amman. An Embassy guard shot the

suspect in the hand, wounding him slightly. Authorities released him after it was determined that

he had not committed any crime, had a history of mental problems, and was not affiliated with

any terrorist group.

The Jordanian State Security Court in April sentenced members of the outlawed “Reform and

Defiance Movement”—a small, mostly indigenous radical Islamist group—for conducting a string

of small bombings in Amman between mid-March and early May 1998 targeting Jordanian

security forces, the Modern American School, and a major hotel. The attacks caused minor

property damage but no casualties. The individuals were convicted of membership in an illegal

terrorist organization, possession of illegal arms and explosives, and conspiracy to commit

terrorist acts. Three were convicted in absentia and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard

labor, while another received a 15-year prison sentence. Three others were acquitted. Meanwhile,

no ruling was issued against six members of the Takfir wa al-Hijra (Apostasy and Migration)

group, whose case was referred to the courts in October 1998. The six had been arrested for

possession and sale of explosives with the intent to conduct terrorist attacks.

Amman continued to maintain tight security along its borders to thwart any attempts to smuggle

weapons and explosives via Jordan to Palestinian rejectionist groups in the West Bank. Jordan

permitted the limited presence— and monitored closely the activities—of several Palestinian

rejectionist groups, including the PIJ, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine

(DFLP), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Popular Front for the

Liberation of Palestine–General Command (PFLP–GC). Amman allowed HAMAS members to

reside in Jordan but banned them from engaging in activities on behalf of the group.

The Jordanian Government was outspoken in its support for the Middle East peace process and

made it clear it would not tolerate efforts to undermine the negotiations from its territory. Senior

government officials, including King Abdallah, condemned major terrorist incidents in the region,

including attacks by Palestinian rejectionist groups against Israeli targets. In October, Jordan

hosted a meeting between leaders of the DFLP and Israeli Knesset members to discuss the

possible entry of DFLP members into the Palestinian-controlled areas.

Jordan continued to cooperate with other regional states and the United States concerning

terrorist threats to the region. In August the government refused to grant a request by a lower

house of Parliament committee to pardon Ahmed Daqamseh, a Jordanian soldier who killed six

Israeli schoolgirls in 1997, and 11 Jordanian “Arab Afghans” serving life sentences for their

conviction in 1995 for plotting against the state.

Lebanon

Security conditions in Lebanon continued to improve in 1999 despite a series of terrorist-related

activities. The government’s continued lack of control in parts of the country,

however—including portions of the Bekaa Valley, Beirut’s southern suburbs, Palestinian refugee

camps, and south Lebanon—and easy access to arms and explosives throughout much of the

country contributed to an environment with the potential for acts of violence. The Lebanese

Government did not exert full control over militia groups engaged in fighting in and near the so-

called security zone occupied by Israel and its proxy militia, the Army of South Lebanon.

A variety of terrorist groups continued to operate with relative impunity in those areas,

conducting terrorist training and other operational activities. The groups include Hizballah,

HAMAS, the PIJ, the PFLP–GC, the Abu Nidal organization (ANO), Asbat al-Ansar, and

several local Sunni extremist organizations. Hizballah represents the most potent threat to US

interests in Lebanon by an organized group. Although Hizballah has not attacked US targets in

Lebanon since 1991, its animosity toward the United States has not abated, and the group

continued to monitor the US Embassy and its personnel in the country. Hizballah leaders

routinely denounced US policies in the region and continued to condemn the peace process.

Lebanon suffered several terrorist attacks in 1999 involving local actors and victims. On 8

September, for example, a bomb exploded at the Customs Department office in Sidon, causing no

injuries. Unidentified gunmen on 8 June shot and killed four judges at a courthouse in Sidon.

Although Lebanese authorities had not apprehended the assailants, they believed the Palestinian

extremist group Asbat al-Ansar was responsible. Moreover, a previously unknown group, the

Liberation Army of Veneration, on 28 June issued a communiqué containing a death threat to the

US Ambassador in Lebanon. Local authorities speculated that the Asbat al-Ansar was behind the

threat.

The Lebanese Government continued to support international counterterrorist initiatives. It

agreed in principle to examine a Japanese request to take custody of five Japanese Red Army

members whose jail sentences in Lebanon end in March 2000. The Lebanese Government,

however, did not act on repeated US requests to turn over Lebanese terrorists involved in the

hijacking in 1985 of TWA flight 847 and in the abduction, torture, and—in some cases—murders

of US hostages from 1984 to 1991.

Saudi Arabia

Several threats against US military and civilian personnel and facilities in Saudi Arabia were

reported in 1999, but there were no terrorist incidents. Terrorist Usama Bin Ladin, based in

Afghanistan, continued publicly to threaten US interests in Saudi Arabia during the year.

The Saudi Arabian Government, at all levels, continued to reaffirm its commitment to combating

terrorism. Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah stated publicly that terrorist actions are un-Islamic and

called for a “concerted international effort” to eradicate terrorism. The Saudi Minister of Defense

indicated during a visit to Washington that he was determined to work with the United States to

defeat terrorism. The Saudis urged the Taliban to expel Bin Ladin from Afghanistan so that he

may be brought to justice in another country.

Usama Bin Ladin

The bombings of the US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 7

August 1998 underscored the global reach of Usama Bin Ladin—a longtime sponsor and

financier of extremist causes—and brought to full public awareness his transition from sponsor to

terrorist. A series of public threats to drive the United States and its allies out of Muslim countries

foreshadowed the attacks, including what was presented as a fatwa (Muslim legal opinion)

published on 23 February 1998 by Bin Ladin and allied groups under the name “World Islamic

Front for Jihad Against the Jews and Crusaders.” The statement asserted it was a religious duty

for all Muslims to wage war on US citizens, military and civilian, anywhere in the world.

The 17th son of Saudi construction magnate Muhammad Bin Ladin, Usama joined the Afghan

resistance almost immediately after the Soviet invasion in December 1979. He played a significant

role in financing, recruiting, transporting, and training Arab nationals who volunteered to fight in

Afghanistan. During the war, Bin Ladin founded al-Qaida (the Base) to serve as an operational

hub for like-minded extremists. The Saudi Government revoked his citizenship in 1994, and his

family officially disowned him. He moved to Sudan in 1991, but international pressure on

Khartoum forced him to move to Afghanistan in 1996.

Bin Ladin has stated publicly that terrorism is a tool to achieve the group’s goal of bringing

Islamic rule to Muslim lands and “cleanse” them of Western influence and corruption. To this

end, Bin Ladin in 1999 led a broad-based, versatile organization. Suspects named in the wake of

the Embassy bombings—Egyptians, one Comoran, one Palestinian, one Saudi, and US

citizens—reflect the range of al-Qaida operatives. The diverse groups under his umbrella afford

Bin Ladin resources beyond those of the people directly loyal to him. With his own inherited

wealth, business interests, contributions from sympathizers in various countries, and support

from close allies like the Egyptian and South Asian groups that signed his fatwa, he funds, trains,

and offers logistic help to extremists not directly affiliated with his organization. He seeks to aid

those who support his primary goals—driving US forces from the Arabian Peninsula, removing

the Saudi ruling family from power, and “liberating Palestine”—or his secondary goals of

removing Western military forces and overthrowing what he calls corrupt, Western-oriented

governments in predominantly Muslim countries. His organization has sent trainers throughout

Afghanistan as well as to Tajikistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen and has

trained fighters from numerous other countries, including the Philippines, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan,

and Eritrea.

Using the ties al-Qaida has developed, Bin Ladin believes he can call upon individuals and

groups virtually worldwide to conduct terrorist attacks. In December 1998, Bin Ladin gave a

series of interviews in which he denied involvement in the East Africa bombings but said he

“instigated” them and called for attacks on US citizens worldwide in retaliation for the strikes

against Iraq. Bin Ladin’s public statements then ceased under increased pressure from his

Taliban hosts. Nonetheless, in 1999, Bin Ladin continued to influence like-minded extremists to his

cause, and his organization continued to engage in terrorist planning. His Egyptian and South

Asian allies, for example, continued publicly to threaten US interests. Bin Ladin’s public remarks

also underscored his expanding interests, including a desire to obtain a capability to deploy

weapons of mass destruction.

The Government of Saudi Arabia continued to investigate the bombing in June 1996 of the

Khubar Towers housing facility near Dhahran and to cooperate with the United States in its

investigation of the incident. Saudi authorities arrested and detained several persons in connection

with the attack but reached no conclusion in the investigation. The Saudi Government stated that

it still was looking for three Saudi suspects linked to the bombing who authorities believed were

outside the Kingdom. The United States expelled Saudi national Hani al-Sayegh to Saudi Arabia

on 11 October. He faces charges there for his alleged role in the bombing. Al-Sayegh originally

was detained in Canada in March 1997, and documents submitted to the Canadian court alleged

al-Sayegh, as a member of the Saudi Hizballah, had participated in the Khubar Towers bombing.

Yemen

Yemen expanded security cooperation with other Arab countries in 1999 and signed a number of

international antiterrorist conventions. The government introduced incremental measures to better

control its borders, territory, and travel documents and initiated specialized training for a newly

established counterterrorist unit within the Ministry of Interior. Nonetheless, lax and inefficient

enforcement of security procedures and the government’s inability to exercise authority over

remote areas of the country continued to make the country a safehaven for terrorist groups.

HAMAS and the PIJ had official representatives in Yemen, and sympathizers or members of

other international terrorist groups—including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, al-Gama’at al-

Islamiyya, Libyan opposition groups, and the Algerian Armed Islamic Group—also resided in

the country.

Yemeni courts convicted the four surviving terrorists involved in the kidnapping in December

1998 of Western tourists in Mudiyah following a lengthy trial and appeals process. The 16

Western tourists held captive in that incident included two US citizens. Four of the tourists died,

and two others—including one US citizen—were wounded during a Yemeni Government rescue

attempt that liberated the remaining hostages. The leader of the Islamic Army of Aden, Zein al-

Abidine al-Midhar, admitted to all charges against him in the incident and was executed by firing

squad on 17 October. The three other defendants each received 20-year prison sentences. In a

separate case, a Yemeni court in August convicted 10 terrorists—eight Britons and two

Algerians—of conspiring to commit terrorist acts, including attacks targeting US citizens.

Kidnappings of foreigners by well-armed and independent tribesmen continued to be fairly

common in Yemen. The tribesmen’s grievances were more often with the Yemeni Government

than with Western governments. Tribesmen kidnapped and released fewer than 30 foreign

nationals during the year, a significant decline from the number abducted the previous year. On

17 January, two US Embassy employees escaped a kidnap attempt; later the same day,

tribesmen kidnapped six Europeans, who overheard their captors saying they wanted “to kidnap

an American.” In October, tribesmen kidnapped three US citizens and released them unharmed in

less than two days. In an effort to contain the kidnapping of foreigners, the Yemeni Government

in October announced the creation of a special court and prosecutor to try suspects charged

under a law, promulgated in August 1998, that imposes severe punishment for convicted

kidnappers and saboteurs.

North America Overview

International terrorist attacks in North America are relatively rare. In 1999 the United States and

Canada cooperated in investigating a noteworthy incident involving the smuggling of explosives

from Canada into Washington State.

Canada

In mid-December, US authorities arrested Ahmed Ressam, an Algerian national, as he entered the

United States from Canada at Port Angeles, Washington. The vehicle he was driving was carrying

explosives and detonating devices. The Government of Canada cooperated closely in the follow-

up investigation into Ressam’s activities and associates in Canada. Some Algerians arrested in

connection with this case apparently are “Afghan alumni,” who trained with the mujahidin in

Afghanistan and are linked to Usama Bin Ladin. Canada has a longstanding cooperative

relationship with the United States on counterterrorist matters, and the two countries meet

regularly to discuss ways to enhance this cooperation and improve border security.

While a potentially serious incident was avoided with Ressam’s arrest, at yearend both Canada

and the United States remained concerned about the possibility of a heightened threat of

terrorism in North America, and the two countries were exploring new mechanisms for

exchanging information on individuals with links to terrorism.

Overview of State-Sponsored Terrorism

The designation of state sponsors of terrorism by the United States—and the imposition of

sanctions—is a mechanism for isolating nations that use terrorism as a means of political

expression. US policy is intended to compel state sponsors to renounce the use of terrorism, end

support to terrorists, and bring terrorists to justice for past crimes. The United States is

committed to holding terrorists and those who harbor them accountable for past attacks,

regardless of when the acts occurred. The United States has a long memory and will not simply

expunge a terrorist’s record because time has passed. The states that choose to harbor terrorists

are similar to accomplices who provide shelter for criminals—and the United States will hold

them accountable for their “guests’” actions. International terrorists should know before they

contemplate a crime that they cannot hunker down afterward in a safehaven and be absolved of

their crimes.

The United States is committed firmly to removing countries from the state sponsor list once

they have taken necessary steps to end their link to terrorism. In fact, the Department of State is

engaged in ongoing discussions with state sponsors interested in being removed from the list.

Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, North Korea, Cuba, and Sudan remain the seven governments that the US

Secretary of State has designated as state sponsors of international terrorism. Iran continued to

support numerous terrorist groups— including the Lebanese Hizballah, HAMAS, and the

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)—in their efforts to undermine the Middle East peace process

through terrorism. Although there were signs of political change in Iran in 1999, the actions of

certain state institutions in support of terrorist groups made Iran the most active state sponsor of

terrorism. Iraq continued to provide safehaven and support to a variety of Palestinian rejectionist

groups, as well as bases, weapons, and protection to the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), an Iranian

terrorist group that opposes the current Iranian regime. Syria continued to provide safehaven and

support to several terrorist groups, some of which oppose the Middle East peace process. Libya

had yet to fully comply with the requirements of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions

related to the trial of those accused of downing Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

North Korea harbored several hijackers of a Japanese Airlines flight to North Korea in the 1970s

and maintained links to Usama Bin Ladin and his network. Cuba continued providing safehaven

to several terrorists and US fugitives and maintained ties to other state sponsors and Latin

American insurgents. Finally, Sudan continued to serve as a meeting place, safehaven, and training

hub for members of Bin Ladin’s al-Qaida, Lebanese Hizballah, al-Jihad, al-Gama’at, PIJ,

HAMAS, and the Abu Nidal organization (ANO).

State sponsorship has decreased over the past several decades. As it decreases, it becomes

increasingly important for all countries to adopt a “zero tolerance” for terrorist activity within

their borders. Terrorists will seek safehaven in those areas where they are able to avoid the rule of

law and to travel, prepare, raise funds, and operate. In 1999 the United States actively researched

and gathered intelligence on other states that will be considered for designation as state sponsors.

If the United States deems a country to “repeatedly provide support for acts of international

terrorism,” it is required by law to add that nation to the list.

In 1999 the United States increasingly was concerned about reports of Pakistani support for

terrorist groups and elements active in Kashmir, as well as Pakistani relations with the Taliban,

which continued to harbor terrorists such as Usama Bin Ladin. In the Middle East, the United

States was concerned that a variety of terrorist groups operated and trained inside Lebanon with

relative impunity. Lebanon also was unresponsive to US requests to bring to justice terrorists

who attacked US citizens and property in Lebanon in previous years.

Cuba

Cuba continued to provide safehaven to several terrorists and US fugitives in 1999. A number of

Basque ETA terrorists who gained sanctuary in Cuba some years ago continued to live on the

island, as did several US terrorist fugitives.

Havana also maintained ties to other state sponsors of terrorism and Latin American insurgents.

Colombia’s two largest terrorist organizations, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and

the National Liberation Army (ELN), both maintained a permanent presence on the island. In late

1999, Cuba hosted a series of meetings between Colombian Government officials and ELN

leaders.

Iran

Although there were signs of political change in Iran in 1999, the actions of certain state

institutions in support of terrorist groups made Iran the most active state sponsor of terrorism.

These state institutions, notably the Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Intelligence

and Security, continued to be involved in the planning and execution of terrorist acts and

continued to support a variety of groups that use terrorism to pursue their goals.

A variety of public reports indicate Iran’s security forces conducted several bombings against

Iranian dissidents abroad. Iranian agents, for example, were blamed for a truck bombing in early

October of a Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) terrorist base near Basrah, Iraq, that killed several MEK

members and non-MEK individuals.

Iran continued encouraging Hizballah and the Palestinian rejectionist groups—including HAMAS,

the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Ahmad Jibril’s PFLP–GC—to use violence, especially terrorist

attacks, in Israel to undermine the peace process. Iran supported these groups with varying

amounts of money, training, and weapons. Despite statements by the Khatami administration

that Iran was not working against the peace process, Tehran stepped up its encouragement of,

and support for, these groups after the election of Israeli Prime Minister Barak and the

resumption of Israel-Syria peace talks. In a gesture of public support, President Khatami met

with Damascus-based Palestinian rejectionist leaders during his visit to Syria in May. In addition,

Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei reflected Iran’s covert actions aimed at scuttling the peace

process when he sponsored a major rally in Tehran on 9 November to demonstrate Iran’s

opposition to Israel and peace. Hizballah and Palestinian rejectionist speakers at the rally

reaffirmed their support for violent jihad against Israel. A Palestinian Islamic Jihad representative

praised a bombing in Netanya that occurred days before and promised more such attacks.

Tehran still provided safehaven to elements of Turkey’s separatist PKK that conducted

numerous terrorist attacks in Turkey and against Turkish targets in Europe. One of the PKK’s

most senior at-large leaders, Osman Ocalan, brother of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan,

resided at least part-time in Iran. Iran also provided support to terrorist groups in North Africa

and South and Central Asia, including financial assistance and training.

Tehran accurately claimed that it also was a victim of terrorism, as the opposition Mujahedin-e

Khalq conducted several terrorist attacks in Iran. On 10 April the group assassinated Brigadier

General Ali Sayyad Shirazi, the Iranian Armed Forces Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff.

Iraq

Iraq continued to plan and sponsor international terrorism in 1999. Although Baghdad focused

primarily on the anti-regime opposition both at home and abroad, it continued to provide

safehaven and support to various terrorist groups.

Press reports stated that, according to a defecting Iraqi intelligence agent, the Iraqi intelligence

service had planned to bomb the offices of Radio Free Europe in Prague. Radio Free Europe

offices include Radio Liberty, which began broadcasting news and information to Iraq in October

1998. The plot was foiled when it became public in early 1999.

The Iraqi opposition publicly stated its fears that the Baghdad regime was planning to

assassinate those opposed to Saddam Hussein. A spokesman for the Iraqi National Accord in

November said that the movement’s security organs had obtained information about a plan to

assassinate its secretary general, Dr. Iyad ‘Allawi, and a member of the movement’s political

bureau, as well as another Iraqi opposition leader.

Iraq continued to provide safehaven to a variety of Palestinian rejectionist groups, including the

Abu Nidal organization, the Arab Liberation Front (ALF), and the former head of the now-

defunct 15 May Organization, Abu Ibrahim, who masterminded several bombings of US aircraft.

Iraq provided bases, weapons, and protection to the MEK, an Iranian terrorist group that

opposes the current Iranian regime. In 1999, MEK cadre based in Iraq assassinated or attempted

to assassinate several high-ranking Iranian Government officials, including Brigadier General Ali

Sayyad Shirazi, Deputy Chief of Iran’s Joint Staff, who was killed in Tehran on 10 April.

Libya

In April 1999, Libya took an important step by surrendering for trial the two Libyans accused of

bombing Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. The move responded directly to

the US-UK initiative; concerted efforts by the Saudi, Egyptian, and South African Governments;

and the active engagement of the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary General. At

yearend, however, Libya still had not complied with the remaining UN Security Council

requirements: payment of appropriate compensation; acceptance of responsibility for the actions

of its officials; renunciation of, and an end to, support for terrorism; and cooperation with the

prosecution and trial. Libyan leader Qadhafi repeatedly stated publicly during the year that his

government had adopted an antiterrorism stance, but it remained unclear whether his claims of

distancing Libya from its terrorist past signified a true change in policy.

Libya also remained the primary suspect in several other past terrorist operations, including the

La Belle discotheque bombing in Berlin in 1986 that killed two US servicemen and one Turkish

civilian and wounded more than 200 persons. The trial in Germany of five suspects in the

bombing, which began in November 1997, continued in 1999.

In 1999, Libya expelled the Abu Nidal organization and distanced itself from the Palestinian

rejectionists, announcing that the Palestinian Authority was the only legitimate address for

Palestinian concerns. Libya still may have retained ties to some Palestinian groups that use

violence to oppose the Middle East peace process, however, including the PIJ and the

PFLP–GC.

North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) continued to provide safehaven to the

Japanese Communist League–Red Army Faction members who participated in the hijacking of a

Japanese Airlines flight to North Korea in 1970. P’yongyang allowed members of the Japanese

Diet to visit some of the hijackers during the year. In 1999 the DPRK also attempted to kidnap

in Thailand a North Korean diplomat who had defected the day before. The attempt led the

North Korean Embassy to hold the former diplomat’s son hostage for two weeks. Some evidence

also suggests the DPRK in 1999 may have sold weapons directly or indirectly to terrorist

groups.

Sudan

Sudan in 1999 continued to serve as a central hub for several international terrorist groups,

including Usama Bin Ladin’s al-Qaida organization. The Sudanese Government also condoned

Iran’s assistance to terrorist and radical Islamist groups operating in and transiting through Sudan.

Khartoum served as a meeting place, safehaven, and training hub for members of the Lebanese

Hizballah, Egyptian Gama’at al-Islamiyya, al-Jihad, the Palistinian Islamic Jihad, HAMAS, and

Abu Nidal organization. Sudan’s support to these groups included the provision of travel

documentation, safe passage, and refuge. Most of the groups maintained offices and other forms

of representation in the capital, using Sudan primarily as a secure base for organizing terrorist

operations and assisting compatriots elsewhere.

Sudan still had not complied with UN Security Council Resolutions 1044, 1054, and 1070 passed

in 1996—which demand that Sudan end all support to terrorists—despite the regime’s efforts to

distance itself publicly from terrorism. They also require Khartoum to hand over three Egyptian

Gama’at fugitives linked to the assassination attempt in 1995 against Egyptian President Hosni

Mubarak in Ethiopia. Sudanese officials continued to deny that they are harboring the three

suspects and that they had a role in the attack.

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Terrorism

In 1999 the possibility of another terrorist weapons of mass destruction (WMD) event—a

chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN), or large explosive weapon—continued to

increase.

Although most terrorists continued to favor proven and conventional tactics, such as bombing,

shooting, and kidnapping, some terrorist groups were attempting to obtain CBRN capabilities.

For example, Usama Bin Ladin spoke publicly about acquiring such a capability and likened his

pursuit of those weapons to a religious duty.

Some terrorist groups have demonstrated CBRN use and are actively pursuing CBRN capabilities

for several reasons:

• Increased publicity highlighted the vulnerability of civilian targets to CBRN attacks. Such attacks

could cause lasting disruption and generate significant psychological impact on a population

and its infrastructure. As of yearend, the largest attack involving chemical weapons against

civilians was Aum Shinrikyo’s sarin nerve agent attack on the Tokyo subway system in March

1995.

• Some groups, especially those motivated by distorted religious and cultural ideologies, had

demonstrated a willingness to inflict greater numbers of indiscriminate casualties. Other less

predictable but potentially dangerous groups also had emerged. Those groups may not adhere

to traditional targeting constraints.

• CBRN materials, information, and technology became more widely available, especially from the

Internet and the former Soviet Union.

Sudan also continued to assist several Islamist and non-Islamist rebel groups based in East Africa.

Nonetheless, Sudan’s relations with its neighbors appeared to improve in 1999. Ethiopia renewed

previously terminated air links, while Eritrea considered reestablishing diplomatic ties. Moreover,

in early December, Sudan signed a peace accord with Uganda under which both nations agreed to

halt all support for any rebel groups operating on each other’s soil.

Syria

Syria continued to provide safehaven and support to several terrorist groups, some of which

maintained training camps or other facilities on Syrian territory. Ahmad Jibril’s Popular Front

Liberation of Palestinian–General Command (PFLP–GC) and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ),

for example, were headquartered in Damascus. In addition, Syria granted a wide variety of

terrorist groups—including HAMAS, the PFLP–GC, and the PIJ—basing privileges or refuge in

areas of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley under Syrian control. Damascus generally upheld its agreement

with Ankara not to support the Kurdish PKK, however.

Syria permitted the resupply of rejectionist groups operating in Lebanon via Damascus. The

Syrian Government, nonetheless, continued to restrain their international activities, instructing

leaders of terrorist organizations in Damascus in August to refrain from military activities and

limit their actions solely to the political realm. Syria also participated in a multinational

monitoring group to prevent attacks against civilian targets in southern Lebanon and northern

Israel.

Appendix A

Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1999

January

2 January

Angola

A United Nations (UN) plane carrying one US citizen, four Angolans, two Philippine nationals

and one Namibian was shot down, according to a UN official. No deaths or injuries were

reported. Angolan authorities blamed the attack on National Union for the Total Independence of

Angola (UNITA) rebels. UNITA officials deny shooting down the plane.

4 January

India

Unidentified Muslim militants fired four rockets at a police complex in Pattan, Kashmir, killing

one officer and his wife and seriously injuring their five-year-old child, according to police

reports.

6 January

Angola

Thirty armed UNITA rebels ambushed a vehicle, killing one Briton, one Brazilian, and two

Angolan security guards, according to reports from the Australian-owned Cuango mine.

Sierra Leone

The Italian Embassy reported Armed Forces Revolutionary Council rebels kidnapped two Italian

missionaries. The missionaries were rescued on 13 January by government-sponsored forces.

8 January

South Africa

Five unidentified youths firebombed a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant in Cape Town,

causing major damage but no injuries, according to a KFC representative. No one claimed

responsibility.

9 January

Yemen

Unidentified assailants abducted a British oil worker from an oilfield operated by a US company,

according to press reports. On 13 January the kidnappers released the hostage unharmed.

11 January

Colombia

In Chinacota two vacationing Italian citizens and one Colombian were kidnapped at a false

roadblock, according to local media reports. On 9 March in Norte de Santander, the National

Liberation Army (ELN) released one of the Italian hostages.

12 January

Pakistan

Unidentified assailants entered the Peshawar home of Abdul Haq, a well-known Afghan

moderate, and murdered his wife, 11-year-old son, and a guard. Police reported that Haq was not

at home and the victims were sleeping when the attack occurred. No one claimed responsibility.

Sierra Leone

Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels kidnapped a Spanish missionary, according to reports

from the Xaverian Monastic Order. On 22 January church officials reported soldiers from the

Economic Community of West African States Cease-Fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG)

rescued the missionary.

17 January

Yemen

Armed tribesmen kidnapped two Dutch aid workers, their two sons, and two British aid

workers. The kidnappers demanded the release of an imprisoned tribesman, according to news

reports. On 2 February the six hostages were released unharmed.

Yemen

Armed tribesmen attempted to kidnap two US Embassy employees as they drove to work. The

victims drove around their attackers and escaped, according to the Embassy.

18 January

Bangladesh

Two assailants attempted to assassinate celebrated Bangladeshi poet Samsur Rahman, according

to local police. Rahman, who has been outspoken against Islamic extremism, escaped unharmed,

but his wife suffered knife wounds. Police arrested one Pakistani and one South African, who

told investigators that they received financial support from Usama Bin Ladin for training and

recruiting mujahidin in Bangladesh. Police suspect the Harakat ul-Jihad Islami (HUJI) is

responsible and arrested at least 47 members of the HUJI and Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM).

25 January

Sierra Leone

Military sources reported RUF rebels robbed and kidnapped a Japanese businessman. On 29

January the RUF released the hostage.

26 January

Venezuela

In the Alto Apure region, the ELN kidnapped five Venezuelan engineers working for the

Venezuelan Petroleum Company. The ELN released one hostage on 15 February and the four

others two days later.

27 January

Yemen

Tribesmen kidnapped three German nationals and five Yemenis, according to press reports.

Kidnapped were a German midwife, her Yemeni husband and three children, her visiting mother

and brother, and their driver. On 28 January the kidnappers released the five Yemeni citizens. No

demands were made for the release of the German hostages. The German foreign minister urged

Yemeni officials to avoid any rescue attempts that would endanger the hostages.

31 January

Yemen

Tribesmen abducted a British oil worker employed by the US-owned Hunt Oil, releasing him six

hours later, according to news reports.

February

8 February

Greece

A bomb exploded near the Turkish Consulate in Komotini, wounding a member of the bomb

squad and causing minor damage. The US Embassy reported that a telephone caller to local

authorities warned of and later claimed responsibility for the bomb on behalf of a group called the

Support to Ocalan—The Hawks of Thrace.

9 February

India

Police reported that suspected Muslim militants threw a grenade at a security patrol in Pulwama

Chowk, injuring 12 civilians and two security personnel.

Nigeria

Officials for an unidentified oil company reported that unknown assailants kidnapped two

employees, one British and one Italian. The Italian citizen was released shortly after being

abducted. No demands were made, and no group claimed responsibility.

10 February

Angola

Church officials reported UNITA rebels kidnapped four persons. The victims, two Portuguese

nationals and two Spaniards, work for Navacong, a company tasked with renovating M’Banza

Congo’s public infrastructure. The rebels kidnapped the victims from a church where they had

sought shelter from intense fighting between government forces and UNITA militants.

11 February

Angola

A representative of SDM/Ashton mining company reported UNITA rebels attacked the scout

vehicle for a convoy of diamond mine vehicles, killing three Angolan security guards and

wounding five others. Angolan and Australian mining companies jointly own SDM/Aston

mining.

12 February

Sierra Leone

The Rome-based news agency, MISNA, reported the RUF kidnapped an Italian missionary from

a church. No demands were made. The rebels released the hostage unharmed on 8 April.

13 February

India

According to authorities, suspected Lashkar-I-Tayyiba militants attacked a village, killing a

family of four and injuring one other person. The victims were relatives of a member of the local

village defense committee.

14 February

Nigeria

Officials for Shell oil company reported three armed youths kidnapped one British employee and

his young son. The captors released their victims unharmed on 15 February. No ransom was

paid, and no one claimed responsibility.

Uganda

Police reported a pipe bomb exploded inside a bar, killing five persons and injuring 35 others.

One Ethiopian and four Ugandan nationals died in the blast, and one US citizen working for

USAID, two Swiss nationals, one Pakistani, one Ethiopian, and 27 Ugandans were injured.

Eyewitnesses stated two unidentified Asians and one Ugandan police officer also were wounded.

The explosion caused extensive damage to the bar. Ugandan authorities blamed the attack on the

Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

15 February

India

Police reported that Muslim militants shot and critically injured the owner of a video shop in

Srinagar, Kashmir.

India

In an attempt to ban Western broadcasts, Muslim militants shot and wounded three cable

television operators in Srinagar, Kashmir, according to police. The operators were shot in the legs

and ordered to broadcast only news and current affairs.

India

A bomb exploded in a crowded marketplace in Srinagar, Kashmir, injuring six persons. Police

suspect Muslim militants were responsible.

16 February

Austria

Kurdish protesters stormed and occupied the Greek Embassy in Vienna, taking the Greek

Ambassador and six other persons hostage. Several hours later the protesters released the

hostages and left the Embassy. The attack followed the Turkish Government’s announcement of

the successful capture of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan.

France

Sixteen Kurdish protesters occupied the Kenyan Embassy in Paris and took seven Kenyan

officials hostage. According to press reports, local police were able to end the occupation and

gain the hostages’ release without injuries.

Germany

Kurdish protesters occupied the Kenyan Embassy in Bonn and held one person hostage for 12

hours before surrendering to police, according to press reports.

Germany

Approximately 40 Kurdish protesters stormed the Kenyan National Tourist office in Frankfurt

and took four employees hostage. The protesters released the hostages several hours after being

assured no arrests would be made.

Germany

Approximately 75 Kurdish protesters occupied a travel agency located in a building housing the

Greek Consulate in Leipzig. Three travel agents were held hostage until authorities stormed the

premises and freed them, according to press reports.

Germany

According to press reports, Kurdish protesters occupied the Greek Embassy in Bonn and held

one person hostage for 12 hours before surrendering to police.

Italy

Approximately 30 Kurdish protesters occupied the Greek Consulate in Milan and held six

persons hostage for four hours before surrendering, according to press reports.

Netherlands

Approximately 150 Kurdish protesters stormed the Greek Ambassador’s residence in The

Hague, taking the Ambassador’s wife, their eight-year-old son, and a Filipino servant hostage.

The protesters released the hostages early the next day and were arrested.

Switzerland

According to media reports, Kurdish protesters stormed the Greek Consulate in Zurich, taking

the building’s owner and a Swiss police officer hostage. On 17 February, US Embassy officials

reported the release of both hostages unharmed.

United Kingdom

Approximately 100 Kurdish protesters stormed and occupied the Greek Embassy in London,

taking one night watchman hostage. On 18 February the protesters left the Greek Embassy and

surrendered to British authorities.

17 February

Germany

Approximately 200 Kurdish protesters armed with clubs broke into the Israeli Consulate in

Berlin and briefly took one Consulate worker hostage. Israeli guards shot and killed three

protesters and wounded 15 others during the attack.

18 February

Colombia

Local press reported the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) kidnapped two

Spaniards, one Algerian, and two Colombians. On 2 November, FARC rebels released the

Spaniards and the Algerian unharmed.

Sudan

Sudanese officials reported the Sudan People’s Liberation Front (SPLA) kidnapped seven

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers. Two hostages were Swiss citizens

and five were Sudanese nationals. On 12 March the rebels released the two Swiss nationals. The

SPLA executed the five Sudanese hostages on 1 April.

20 February

India

Indian press reported that Muslim militants massacred 20 persons in two districts in Jammu. A

military spokesman said the Lashkar-I-Tayyiba is suspected.

21 February

Colombia

The FARC kidnapped two Spanish citizens and seven Colombians, according to a Colombian

antikidnapping unit. The rebels released one Spanish hostage and two Colombians and demanded

300 million pesetas for the release of the second Spanish hostage. The rebels released the Spanish

hostage on 28 February. No ransom was paid.

22 February

India

Police reported that suspected Muslim militants shot and killed a politician from the National

Conference party in Kashmir.

India

Suspected Muslim militants killed two persons and wounded two others in Jigrayi, Kashmir,

according to police reports.

India

In Udhampur District, Kashmir, police reported that suspected Lashkar-I-Tayyiba militants

killed three persons and shot one other.

24 February

Nigeria

The US Embassy reported armed youths kidnapped a US citizen, holding him for ransom. A

local militant group rescued the hostage but then demanded ransom for his release. Bristow

Helicopters, the victim’s employer, paid the demanded $53,000. The group released the hostage

unharmed on 4 March.

25 February

Colombia

The FARC kidnapped three US citizens, according to media reports. The victims worked for the

Hawaii-based Pacific Cultural Conservancy International. On 4 March the bodies of the three

victims were found in Venezuela. FARC leaders claimed rogue elements within the organization

were responsible.

26 February

Colombia

Police reported an unidentified assailant detonated a powerful explosive device at the

headquarters of the Colombian Daily Company, a subsidiary of Swiss-owned Nestle

Multinational. The explosion caused major damage but no injuries.

India

Official sources reported that unidentified militants abducted and killed five police officers near

Hindwara, Kashmir.

28 February

Zambia

The US Embassy reported 16 bombs exploded in and around Lusaka. An explosion inside the

Angolan Embassy killed one person and caused major damage. Other bombs detonated near major

water pipes and powerlines and in parks and residential districts, injuring two persons and

causing major damage. Bomb experts detonated five more bombs and defused two others. No one

claimed responsibility. Zambian officials blame agents of neighboring Angola.

March

Colombia

The ICRC reported a French citizen died of natural causes while a captive of the ELN. The ELN

had kidnapped the French national on 23 November 1998.

1 March

Uganda

According to French diplomatic reports, 150 armed Hutu rebels attacked three tourist camps,

killed four Ugandans, and abducted three US citizens, six Britons, three New Zealanders, two

Danish citizens, one Australian, and one Canadian national. On 2 March, US Embassy officials

reported the Hutu rebels killed two US citizens, four Britons, and two New Zealanders. The

rebels released the remaining hostages.

2 March

Nigeria

The US Embassy reported at least 20 armed assailants attacked a compound housing a large

Italian construction company and its workers, injuring six persons. No group claimed

responsibility.

7 March

Colombia

Local press reported suspected guerrillas from the ELN or the FARC kidnapped an Argentine

citizen from a false checkpoint. No demands were made.

Colombia

Local press reported the ELN or the FARC kidnapped one Swiss citizen and seven Colombians

from a false checkpoint. No one claimed responsibility.

9 March

Nigeria

The US Embassy reported unidentified assailants kidnapped a US citizen from his office. No

demands were made, and no one claimed responsibility.

Venezuela

Local press reported suspected ELN or FARC guerrillas attacked a Venezuelan patrol unit,

injuring one civilian and kidnapping three others.

10 March

Angola

Government officials reported an unidentified group kidnapped five oil workers—two French

citizens, two Portuguese nationals, and one Angolan. According to local press, all hostages were

released unharmed on 7 July. Members of the Front for the Liberation of Cabinda (FLEC) may

be responsible.

11 March

India

Unidentified militants shot and killed a man and his two daughters and wounded his wife and

three other relatives in Srinagar, Kashmir, according to Indian officials.

23 March

Colombia

The US Embassy reported armed guerrillas kidnapped a US citizen in Boyaca. The ELN claimed

responsibility and demanded $400,000 ransom. On 20 July, ELN rebels released the hostage

unharmed following a ransom payment of $48,000.

Colombia

Government officials in Antioquia reported the FARC kidnapped two engineers—one German

and one Swiss—from the El Cairo Cement Works. No demands were made.

25 March

Macedonia

In Skopje approximately 200 protesters occupied the US Embassy compound, according to

military reporting. The protesters, armed with rocks and Molotov cocktails, set fire to several

diplomatic vehicles, causing major damage to the exterior of the Embassy. The protesters did not

gain entry into the Embassy, and police eventually dispersed them.

26 March

Greece

The US Embassy reported approximately 500 Greek and Serbian protesters broke down the gate

at the British Embassy in Athens and entered the British Ambassador’s residence, injuring three

local guards and causing major damage.

Serbia

Serbian demonstrators burned down the United States Information Service (USIS) American

center.

27 March

Pakistan

In Peshawar the US Embassy reported unidentified assailants assassinated Mohammed Jehanzeb,

an Afghan national and secretary to Taliban opponent Haji Qadir. Qadir was the brother of

Afghan moderate Abdul Haq, whose wife and son were murdered in Peshawar on 12 January.

Uganda

In Kisoro suspected Rwandan rebels armed with machetes attacked a village, killing three

persons. According to military reporting, the attackers crossed into Uganda from the Democratic

Republic of the Congo.

28 March

India

Police reported suspected Muslim militants threw a grenade into a crowd in Anantnag, injuring at

least 28 persons.

April

1 April

India

Suspected Muslim militants shot and killed three family members in their home in Kashmir,

according to police reports.

2 April

India

In Poonch District, Kashmir, police reported suspected Muslim militants shot and killed five

family members.

3 April

Bosnia-Herzegovina

According to press accounts, unidentified assailants opened fire on a Stabilization Force (SFOR)

vehicle carrying two Bosnian employees, injuring one. No one claimed responsibility, but

authorities believe SFOR was the target.

Ethiopia

Government officials in Addis Ababa reported an unidentified armed group kidnapped a French

aid worker, two Ethiopian staff workers, and four Somalis. On 4 May the Ogaden National

Liberation Front released the French diplomat.

9 April

Colombia

The ELN abducted two Swiss nationals, one Israeli, and one Briton in Cauca Department,

according to press accounts. The British hostage escaped on 8 May. The ELN released the Israeli

and one Swiss hostage on 15 May.

12 April

Colombia

Police in Bucaramanga reported the ELN hijacked Avianca Airlines flight 9463 carrying one US

citizen, one Italian, one Ecuadorian, and several Colombians. On 13 April six hostages were

released, three more on 16 April, and seven more on 7 May. The ELN released eight additional

hostages on 18 June, seven on 5 September, and the US citizen on 2 October.

Venezuela

The FARC kidnapped a rancher in Cunaviche, Apue State, according to press accounts. The

victim reported that the FARC released him in Caracolito, Norte De Santander Department, on

18 April.

14 April

Angola

Unidentified assailants attacked a Save the Children vehicle in Salina, killing six Angolans,

according to US Embassy reporting. UNITA is suspected.

15 April

Greece

Two explosive devices detonated at the Detroit Motors car dealership in Athens, causing no

injuries but extensive damage. A group calling itself the Enraged Anarchists claimed

responsibility.

20 April

Colombia

On the Pamplona-Bucaramanga road, FARC guerrillas stopped four vehicles at a fake roadblock,

kidnapping four prison guards and two truck drivers. The FARC guerrillas also stole three

tractor-trailers transporting 27 vehicles from Venezuela and a cargo truck. The rebels later

released the two drivers.

India

In Rajauri, Kashmir, a bomb exploded in a goldsmith shop, killing five persons, injuring 47 others,

and causing major damage, according to press reports. No one claimed responsibility, but police

suspect Muslim militants.

21 April

Liberia

Government officials reported unidentified assailants from Guinea crossed the border and

attacked the town of Voinjama, kidnapping the visiting Dutch Ambassador, the First Secretary of

Norway, a European Union representative, and 17 aid workers. The hostages were released later

that day. Eyewitnesses stated the assailants were members of the militia groups ULIMO-K and

ULIMO-J.

27 April

Greece

A bomb exploded at the Intercontinental Hotel, killing one person and injuring one other,

according to press reports.

30 April

India

In Kupwara District in Kashmir, Muslim militants stormed the home of a police informant,

killing him and eight other persons and wounding three others, according to press accounts.

May

11 May

India

Suspected Muslim militants killed four members of one family in Kupwara District, Kashmir,

according to police reports.

13 May

Angola

UNITA fired surface-to-air missiles to bring down a privately owned plane, abducting the three

Russian crewmembers and three Angolan passengers, according to the US Embassy.

Colombia

Four unidentified assailants kidnapped a US helicopter technician in Yopal, according to press

accounts. Police suspect the FARC or ELN.

15 May

Russia

The ICRC reported unidentified gunmen abducted two employees—one New Zealander and one

Russian. The Russian was released the same day. No one claimed responsibility, and no demands

were made. The New Zealander was released on 19 July.

19 May

India

The press reported an explosion on a bus in Jammu killed one person, injured eight others, and

destroyed six buses, two tankers, and a gas pump. Kashmiri militants are suspected.

30 May

Colombia

In Cali local press reported heavily armed ELN militants attacked a church in the neighborhood of

Ciudad Jardin, kidnapping 160 persons, including six US citizens and one French national. The

rebels released approximately 80 persons, including three US citizens, later that day. On 3 June

the ELN released an additional five hostages. On 15 June the rebels released 33 hostages including

two US citizens, according to US Embassy reporting. On 10 December local press reported the

rebels released the remaining hostages unharmed.

June

6 June

Colombia

The US Embassy reported ELN militants kidnapped nine persons, including one US citizen, near

Barranquilla. On 24 September, ELN militants released the US citizen.

7 June

Spain

Authorities safely defused a letter bomb sent to an Italian diplomat in Burgos. The Italian Red

Brigades were suspected.

Spain

Authorities safely defused a letter bomb sent to the Italian Consulate in Barcelona. Authorities

suspect the Italian Red Brigades.

8 June

Spain

Authorities safely defused a letter bomb sent to the Italian Consulate in Zaragoza. Authorities

suspect the Italian Red Brigades.

9 June

Iraq

In Baghdad, according to press reports, a car bomb exploded next to a bus carrying members of

the Iranian opposition movement Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MEK), killing seven

members and injuring 23 others, including 15 Iraqi civilians. MEK officials suspect the Iranian

Government is responsible.

12 June

Philippines

According to press reports, in Zamboanga armed militants kidnapped two Belgium nationals. The

Abu Sayyaf Group and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were suspected.

One Belgian was released on 18 June and the other on 23 June.

13 June

Serbia

Suspected Serbian gunmen shot and killed two German journalists, according to military

reporting. No one claimed responsibility.

15 June

Iran

According to Iranian Government authorities, three armed assailants kidnapped three Italian steel

experts in Bam. On 20 June the hostages were released unharmed.

16 June

United Kingdom

In Whitely Bay, Tyneside, an unidentified assailant shot and wounded a former Special Branch

Agent. Authorities suspect the Irish Republican Army’s Belfast Brigade was responsible.

22 June

India

The United Liberation Front of Assam, with the backing of Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence,

claimed responsibility for the bombing at the Julpaiguri railroad station that killed 10 persons and

injured 80 others, according to senior government officials.

27 June

Nigeria

In Port Harcourt, a Royal Dutch Shell official reported five heavily armed youths stormed a Shell

oil platform, kidnapping one US citizen, one Nigerian national, and one Australian citizen, and

causing undetermined damage. The assailants hijacked a helicopter and forced the hostages to fly

them to a village near Warri. On 16 July an Australian Government official reported the youths

released the hostages unharmed for an undisclosed ransom. A group calling itself “Enough is

Enough in the Niger River” claimed responsibility.

29 June

Indonesia

Armed militants attacked a United Nations Mission in an East Timor outpost, injuring 12

persons, according to press reports.

Nigeria

According to US Embassy officials, armed militants kidnapped two Indian nationals as they

drove through the city of Lagos. On 14 July the militants released the hostages unharmed.

Colombia

Near Medellin, US Embassy officials reported six armed FARC rebels kidnapped a US citizen

from his home in Antioquia Department. The rebels demanded $60,000. On 26 July, FARC

rebels released the hostage unharmed, but no ransom was paid.

30 June

Angola

Local press reported UNITA rebels shot down an Angolan-owned plane with five Russian

crewmen aboard near Capenda-Camulemba. One crewmember died when the plane crashed in

UNITA-held territory. A UNITA official confirmed they captured the four crewmen. No

demands were made for the hostages’ release.

30 June

Burundi

World Food Program (WFP) officials reported suspected Hutu rebels fired on a WFP vehicle near

Bujumbura, injuring one person.

July

1 July

Nigeria

Near Aleibiri, US Embassy officials reported armed Oboro youths kidnapped one US citizen, one

British national, and one Nigerian citizen. The assailants demanded a ransom of $80,000 for the

release of the hostages. On 12 July the youths released the hostages unharmed. No ransom was

paid.

4 July

Indonesia

Armed militants ambushed a United Nations convoy kidnapping an Australian and 15 others. A

driver and two other persons were wounded. The militants are believed to be members of the

Besi Merah Putih Militia group.

6 July

Angola

Local press reported UNITA rebels ambushed a German humanitarian convoy, killing 15

persons, injuring 25 others, and causing major damage. The convoy was transporting goods for

Catholic Relief Service.

9 July

Georgia

A bomb exploded outside the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia in Sukhumi, causing

minor damage. According to military reporting, authorities discovered and safely defused a

second bomb near the blast site. No one claimed responsibility.

16 July

Yemen

Tribesmen in Omran kidnapped four Belgian tourists, according to local officials. On 18 July the

four hostages were released unharmed. No one claimed responsibility.

20 July

Nigeria

A Royal Dutch Shell representative reported armed youths stormed an oil rig in Osoko, detaining

seven British nationals and 57 Nigerian citizens. No one was injured. On 22 July the youths

released the hostages unharmed.

21 July

Angola

According to Angolan military sources, UNITA militants fired mortars and long-range artillery at

World Food Program and International Committee for the Red Cross aircraft parked at the

Huambo airport. No one was injured, and no damage occurred.

23 July

Germany

According to police officials, an unidentified assailant threw a bomb into a Turkish travel agency

in Munich, injuring two persons and causing minor damage. Authorities suspect the attack was

connected to the conviction of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

27 July

Pakistan

According to police reports, a bomb exploded on a passenger bus, killing eight persons and

wounding 40 others. No one claimed responsibility.

28 July

Yemen

In Shabwa Province, armed tribesmen kidnapped a Canadian citizen working on the US-owned

Hunt Oil pipeline, according to authorities. Tribesmen released the hostage unharmed the

following day.

30 July

Venezuela

US Embassy officials reported suspected FARC rebels hijacked a domestic Avior Express flight

out of Barinas. No one was injured in the attack. On 10 August local press reported FARC rebels

released the hostages unharmed near the Colombian-Venezuelan border. No ransom was paid.

FARC officials denied hijacking the plane.

August

4 August

Sierra Leone

UN officials reported an Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) faction kidnapped 33

UN representatives near Occra Hills. The hostages included one US citizen, five British soldiers,

one Canadian citizen, one representative from Ghana, one military officer from Russia, one

officer from Kyrgystan, one officer from Zambia, one officer from Malaysia, a local Bishop, two

UNICEF officials, two local journalists, and 16 Sierra Leonean nationals. No one was injured in

the attack. The rebels demanded the release of imprisoned leader John Paul Karoma. On 5 August

the rebels released one US citizen and one local journalist. On 10 August the rebels released all

remaining hostages.

6 August

Kyrgyzstan

In the Batken district, according to local press, unidentified Tajikistani rebels kidnapped four

Kyrgyzstani Government officials. On 13 August the rebels released the hostages unharmed for

an unspecified amount of ransom.

10 August

Nigeria

In the Niger-Delta Region, local press reported armed youths kidnapped three British nationals

from a US-operated oil platform. No one was injured, and no one claimed responsibility. On 11

August the youths released the hostages unharmed. No ransom was paid.

In a different incident, a spokesperson for the British-owned Niger-Benue Transport Company

reported unidentified youths kidnapped two British citizens in the Niger-Delta Region. No one

claimed responsibility, and no demands were made. The hostages were released on 11 August.

11 August

Liberia

In Kolahun the British Foreign Office reported an armed gang kidnapped four British nationals,

one Norwegian citizen, and one Italian national. The victims worked for an unidentified

humanitarian aid service. On 13 August a British official reported the rebels released all the

hostages unharmed. No one claimed responsibility.

14 August

Pakistan

According to police reports, a bomb exploded in a van in Dina, killing six persons and injuring 14

others.

15 August

Iran

In Kerman, according to press reports, armed militants kidnapped four tourists, three Spanish

and one Italian. On 31 August the militants released the hostages unharmed. No one claimed

responsibility.

16 August

Russia

In Dagestan local police reported unidentified assailants kidnapped two Polish citizens and two

Russian nationals. The kidnappers demanded $50,000 ransom. On 7 January 2000 the Chechen

Parliament reported the hostages were released unharmed in December.

21 August

Ethiopia

Near Dire Dawa, US Embassy officials reported suspected al-Ittihad al-Islami operatives

detonated a mine beneath a train carrying 400 Djiboutian nationals. The explosion severely

wounded two Ethiopian conductors, destroyed one locomotive, and caused extensive damage to

the railway line, shutting it down for four days. No one claimed responsibility.

22 August

Kyrgyzstan

In Bishkek, government officials reported unidentified Uzbekistani gunmen kidnapped four

Japanese geologists, their interpreter, and eight Kyrgyzstani soldiers. On 13 October four

Kyrgyzstani soldiers were released unharmed. On 18 October another two Kyrgyzstani hostages

were freed. On 25 October the remaining hostages were released unharmed. No ransom was paid.

Yemen

In Marib Governorate, according to police reports, armed tribesmen kidnapped a French

diplomat and his wife when the driver of their vehicle stopped for late afternoon prayers. On 2

September the hostages were released unharmed. No one claimed responsibility.

23 August

Venezuela

Colombian Embassy officials reported a small bomb exploded outside the Colombian Consulate

in Caracas, causing minor damage but no injuries. Security officials defused a second explosive

device at the Consulate. Venezuelan police located and safely defused a bomb found on the first

floor of Credival Tower, the building housing the Colombian Embassy. The Tupamaro

Revolutionary Movement claimed responsibility.

27 August

Russia

In Volograd unidentified assailants kidnapped the General Director of the Coca Cola Volograd

Company and demanded a $50,000 ransom, according to police officials. The hostage, a Filipino

citizen, escaped later the same day. No one claimed responsibility.

28 August

Colombia

According to police officials, near Yopal City, police suspected FARC or ELN militants

abducted a Scottish oil engineer working for the US-UK owned British Petroleum-Amoco

Corporation. No one claimed responsibility, and no demands were made.

30 August

India

Muslim separatists opened fire on a taxi, killing four police officers and their driver in

Hanjiweera, according to police authorities.

31 August

Colombia

Local press reported armed FARC militants stormed the Anchicaya hydroelectric plant near

Buenaventura, detaining 168 persons. No one was injured. The rebels released several hostages

unharmed later that day. The FARC released 58 hostages on 4 September and all remaining

hostages unharmed on 5 September. The Pacific Energy Enterprise power plant is operated

jointly by US, Colombian, and Venezuelan companies.

September

6 September

Yemen

Armed tribesmen kidnapped three Sudanese teachers in the Marib region, according to press

reports. On 17 September the tribesmen released the teachers unharmed.

8 September

India

On the Surankote-Poonch Road a bomb exploded in front of a motorcade carrying the Chief

Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, causing no injuries or damage. According to military reporting

Muslim militants were suspected.

India

A bomb exploded at a polling booth in Thanamandi, Kashmir, causing major damage but no

injuries. Military officials suspect Muslim separatists.

Nigeria

In Bayelsa State, according to local press, gunmen kidnapped an Indian citizen. On 15 September

the gunmen released the hostage unharmed. No one claimed responsibility, no demands were

made, and no ransom was paid. Ijaw youths were suspected.

9 September

India

A Kashmiri militant threw a handgrenade into a jeep, injuring two police officers and eight other

individuals in Doda, according to military reporting.

11 September

Ecuador

Police officials reported 25 to 30 FARC rebels kidnapped 12 Westerners. Eight hostages, one US

citizen and seven Canadian nationals, worked for a US-based oil pipeline company. The other

hostages, three Spanish nationals and one Belgian citizen, were tourists. Ecuadorian police

rescued one Canadian hostage later that day. No demands were made. FARC officials denied

participating in the kidnapping.

13 September

India

Near Tangmarg, Muslim insurgents ambushed a convoy carrying a government minister, injuring a

bodyguard and three civilians, according to military reporting. The Hizbul Mujahedin group

claimed responsibility

17 September

India

According to press reports, an unidentified militant threw a handgrenade at an army patrol near a

bus station in Shopian, injuring two soldiers and 24 other persons. Muslim militants were

suspected.

India

Local authorities reported that Muslim militants shot and killed a politician in Baramulla.

20 September

India

Unidentified militants shot and killed a National Conference party member in his home, according

to press reports. Muslim militants were suspected.

29 September

India

According to press reports, reported unidentified militants threw grenades at a government

building in Srinagar, killing one police officer and causing undetermined damage. The Harakat ul-

Mujahidin (HUM) claimed responsibility.

Nicaragua

US Embassy officials reported rebels belonging to the Andres Castro United Front (FUAC)

kidnapped one Canadian citizen and one Nicaraguan military officer in Bonanza Municipality.

The rebels demanded $1 million and a renegotiation of agreements made between the FUAC and

the Nicaraguan Government in 1997.

October

1 October

India

Suspected Muslim militants shot and killed a local politician at his residence, according to press

sources.

Thailand

Five armed Burmese dissidents stormed the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, taking 89 persons

hostage. The hostages included three French nationals, three Canadians, one German, one US

citizen, and several citizens from Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. The group, calling itself the

Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors, demanded the release of all political prisoners held in

Burma. On 2 October the hostages were released unharmed, and the militants were flown to the

Burmese border.

4 October

India

Local police reported a landmine exploded near a polling station in Pampore, killing one election

officer, wounding one other, and injuring three police officers. Authorities suspect Muslim

militants.

8 October

Nigeria

The US Embassy reported armed youths attacked a US oil-company compound housing

employees from the United States, United Kingdom, and Nigeria. The attackers injured four US

citizens and four Nigerian nationals and caused massive damage to the compound. The youths

demanded the oil facility replace its existing Nigerian staff with local workers. On 11 October

government officials reported the attackers left the compound without further incident.

12 October

Burundi

US Embassy officials reported suspected Rwandan Hutu rebels attacked humanitarian aid

workers in Rutana. One Chilean UNICEF official, one Dutch World Food Program employee,

four local military officers, and six Burundi nationals died in the attack. One Belgian and one

Burundi national working for the UN and four Burundi citizens were wounded. No one claimed

responsibility.

13 October

Georgia

In Sukhumi unidentified masked gunmen kidnapped six UN military observers—from Germany,

the Czech Republic, Greece, Switzerland, Sweden, and Uruguay. A Georgian interpreter also was

kidnapped. The abductors demanded a $250,000 ransom. Four hostages were released unharmed

on 14 October, and the remaining three hostages were freed the next day.

15 October

Sierra Leone

In Masombo the Missionary News Agency reported unidentified persons kidnapped three

clergymen—two Italian and one Sierra Leonian. No one claimed responsibility, and no demands

were made. AFRC rebels are suspected.

21 October

India

Kashmiri militants kidnapped and beheaded a father and daughter suspected of spying for the

Indian Army in Kupwara, according to government officials.

26 October

Yemen

Unidentified armed tribesmen kidnapped three US citizens. The tribesmen demanded the

government release five fellow tribesmen, according to press reports. The hostages were released

unharmed on 28 October.

28 October

India

Local police reported Muslim militants fired six grenades at the secretariat building, killing one

person and injuring 11 others.

30 October

Nigeria

Local press reported armed youths seized a helicopter near Warri, kidnapping three British

citizens. The kidnappers forced the hostages, pilots for the petroleum company Royal Dutch

Shell, to fly to an undisclosed location. No demands were made, but negotiations for release of

the hostages were initiated.

November

1 November

Nigeria

US Embassy officials reported armed youths seized a US vessel near Bonny Island, kidnapping

one US citizen, one Polish national, and 12 Nigerian locals. No one was injured in the attack, and

the ship sustained minimal damage. The attackers released all the hostages unharmed on 3

November. No one claimed responsibility.

3 November

Panama

Police officials reported suspected FARC rebels hijacked two Panamanian helicopters carrying

four Colombian nationals, two Ecuadorian citizens, and two Panamanian pilots near Colon. No

one was injured in the attack. The guerrillas released all the hostages unharmed later that day but

retained the helicopters.

8 November

Nigeria

The US Embassy reported that 14 youths armed with machetes boarded a Belize-owned vessel

near Escravos, in Delta State, and kidnapped one US citizen and one Nigerian national. The

youths released the hostages unharmed on 12 November. No ransom was paid.

10 November

Colombia

A representative for the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) reported FARC

militants kidnapped a British national working for the ICRC. On 14 November the rebels released

the hostage unharmed following a meeting between FARC and ICRC officials. No ransom was

paid.

12 November

India

A bomb exploded on the Punjab Express bound for New Delhi, killing 13 persons and injuring

some 50 others. No one claimed responsibility, but authorities suspect Muslim separatists were

responsible.

Pakistan

According to local press accounts, unidentified assailants fired seven rockets from three vehicles

parked at various locations, injuring six persons and causing minor damage. One vehicle was

parked in a lot at the US Cultural center, another near the building housing UN offices, and the

third near the US Embassy.

23 November

India

Local police reported a bomb exploded outside a political party headquarters in Srinagar, injuring

five persons and causing major damage. Tehrik-i-Jihad claimed responsibility.

December

7 December

Sierra Leone

Near Buedu, Revolutionary United Front militants kidnapped one German national and one

Belgian citizen, both of whom work for the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders

(Medicins Sans Frontieres). No one was injured in the attack. The rebels released both hostages

unharmed on 16 December. No ransom was paid.

18 December

Pakistan

A bomb exploded in a marketplace, killing 10 persons, injuring 17 others, and causing major

damage, according to press reports.

22 December

India

An unidentified militant lobbed a grenade into a crowd in Anatnag, injuring 12 persons, according

to press reports. Authorities suspect Muslim separatists were responsible.

23 December

Colombia

In the Santander Mountain region, local press reported Popular Liberation Army militants

kidnapped a US citizen. After deciding that their captive had no ties to the US Government, the

rebels released the hostage unharmed on 13 January 2000. No ransom was paid.

24 December

Colombia

US Embassy officials reported a bomb exploded outside the Colombo-American Bi-National

Center in Cali, causing an unreported number of minor injuries and major damage to the building.

A group calling itself the Colombian Patriotic Resistance claimed responsibility, but police

suspect ELN members carried out the attack.

Nepal

Five heavily armed militants hijacked an Indian Airlines Airbus carrying 189 passengers and 11

crewmembers en route from Katmandu to New Delhi. After refueling in Pakistan, the plane was

diverted to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where the hijackers released 27 hostages along with the

body of a hostage they had murdered. The hijackers then flew to Qandahar, Afghanistan, and

demanded the release of 36 militants imprisoned in India. On 31 December the Indian

Government agreed to release three imprisoned militants in exchange for the hostages’ safe return.

The plane and remaining hostages were released unharmed later that day.

31 December

Colombia

Police officials reported three unidentified persons kidnapped a Spanish citizen from his

residence in the Santa Ana neighborhood of Barrancabermeja. The hostage, an engineer, was

employed by a Venezuelan firm. No one claimed responsibility. The attack bore the hallmark of

the ELN.

Appendix B

Background Information on Terrorist Groups

Contents

I. Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (October 1999) 67

Abu Nidal organization (ANO) 67

Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) 68

al-Jihad 76

Armed Islamic Group (GIA) 69

Aum Supreme Truth (Aum) 70

Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) 71

Devrimci Sol (Revolutionary Left) 86

ELA 87

ELN 81

ETA 71

FARC 85

Al-Gama’at al-Islamiyya 72

HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement) 73

Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) 74

Hizballah (Party of God) 75

Islamic Resistance Movement 73

Japanese Red Army (JRA) 75

al-Jihad 76

Kach and Kahane Chai 77

Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) 78

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) 79

Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO) 80

MRTA 89

National Liberation Army (ELN) 81

The Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) 82

PKK 78

Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) 82

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) 83

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command (PFLP–GC) 83

al-Qaida 84

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) 85

Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17 November) 86

Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) 86

Revolutionary People’s Struggle (ELA) 87

Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path, SL) 88

17 November 86

Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) 89

II. Other Terrorist Groups 90

Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB) 90

Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) 90

Irish Republican Army (IRA) 91

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) 92

Jamaat ul-Fuqra 92

Khmer Rouge 95

Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) 93

New People’s Army (NPA) 94

Orange Volunteers (OV) 94

The Party of Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge) 95

Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) 91

Qibla and People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD) 95

Real IRA (RIRA) 96

Red Hand Defenders (RHD) 97

Sikh Terrorism 97

Zviadists 98

The following descriptive list of terrorist groups is presented in two sections. The first section lists

the groups that currently are designated by the Secretary of State as Foreign Terrorist

Organizations (FTOs), pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality act, as

amended by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. The designations carry

legal consequences:

• It is unlawful to provide funds or other material support to a designated FTO.

• Representatives and certain members of a designated FTO can be denied visas or excluded from

the United States.

• US financial institutions must block funds of designated FTOs and their agents and must

report the blockage to the US Department of the Treasury.

The second section includes other terrorist groups that were active during 1999. Terrorist groups

whose activities were limited in scope in 1999 are not included.

I. Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (October 1999)

Abu Nidal organization (ANO) a.k.a. Fatah Revolutionary Council, Arab Revolutionary

Brigades, Black September, and Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims

Description

International terrorist organization led by Sabri al-Banna. Split from PLO in 1974. Made up of

various functional committees, including political, military, and financial.

Activities

Has carried out terrorist attacks in 20 countries, killing or injuring almost 900 persons. Targets

include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Israel, moderate Palestinians, the PLO,

and various Arab countries. Major attacks included the Rome and Vienna airports in December

1985, the Neve Shalom synagogue in Istanbul and the Pan Am flight 73 hijacking in Karachi in

September 1986, and the City of Poros day-excursion ship attack in Greece in July 1988.

Suspected of assassinating PLO deputy chief Abu Iyad and PLO security chief Abu Hul in Tunis

in January 1991. ANO assassinated a Jordanian diplomat in Lebanon in January 1994 and has

been linked to the killing of the PLO representative there. Has not attacked Western targets since

the late 1980s.

Strength

A few hundred plus limited overseas support structure.

Location/Area of Operation

Al-Banna relocated to Iraq in December 1998, where the group maintains a presence. Has an

operational presence in Lebanon in the Bekaa Valley and several Palestinian refugee camps in

coastal areas of Lebanon. Also has a limited presence in Sudan and Syria, among others, although

financial problems and internal disorganization have reduced the group’s activities and

capabilities. Authorities shut down the ANO’s operations in Libya and Egypt in 1999. Has

demonstrated ability to operate over wide area, including the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.

External Aid

Has received considerable support, including safehaven, training, logistic assistance, and financial

aid from Iraq, Libya, and Syria (until 1987), in addition to close support for selected operations.

Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)

Description

The ASG is the smallest and most radical of the Islamic separatist groups operating in the

southern Philippines. Some ASG members have studied or worked in the Middle East and

developed ties to mujahidin while fighting and training in Afghanistan. The group split from the

Moro National Liberation Front in 1991 under the leadership of Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani,

who was killed in a clash with Philippine police on 18 December 1998. The ASG still is working

to fill a leadership void resulting from his death, although press reports place his younger brother,

Khadafi Janjalani, as head of the group’s operations in the Basilan Province.

Activities

Uses bombs, assassinations, kidnappings, and extortion payments to promote an independent

Islamic state in western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, areas in the southern Philippines

heavily populated by Muslims. Raided the town of Ipil in Mindanao in April 1995, the group’s

first large-scale action. Suspected of several small-scale bombings and kidnappings in 1999.

Strength

Unknown but believed to have about 200 fighters.

Location/Area of Operation

The ASG operates in the southern Philippines with members occasionally traveling to Manila.

External Aid

Probably receives support from Islamic extremists in the Middle East and South Asia.

al-Jihad (see under J)

Armed Islamic Group (GIA)

Description

An Islamic extremist group, the GIA aims to overthrow the secular Algerian regime and replace it

with an Islamic state. The GIA began its violent activities in early 1992 after Algiers voided the

victory of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS)—the largest Islamic party—in the first round of

legislative elections in December 1991.

Activities

Frequent attacks against civilians, journalists, and foreign residents. In the last several years the

GIA has conducted a terrorist campaign of civilian massacres, sometimes wiping out entire

villages in its area of operations and frequently killing hundreds of civilians. Since announcing its

terrorist campaign against foreigners living in Algeria in September 1993, the GIA has killed more

than 100 expatriate men and women—mostly Europeans—in the country. Uses assassinations

and bombings, including car bombs, and it is known to favor kidnapping victims and slitting their

throats. The GIA hijacked an Air France flight to Algiers in December 1994. In late 1999 several

GIA members were convicted by a French court for conducting a series of bombings in France in

1995.

Strength

Unknown, probably several hundred to several thousand.

Location/Area of Operation

Algeria.

External Aid

Algerian expatriates and GIA members abroad, many of whom reside in Western Europe, provide

some financial and logistic support. In addition, the Algerian Government has accused Iran and

Sudan of supporting Algerian extremists and severed diplomatic relations with Iran in March

1993.

Aum Supreme Truth (Aum) a.k.a. Aum Shinrikyo

Description

A cult established in 1987 by Shoko Asahara, Aum aims to take over Japan and then the world.

Approved as a religious entity in 1989 under Japanese law, the group ran candidates in a

Japanese parliamentary election in 1990. Over time, the cult began to emphasize the imminence

of the end of the world and stated that the United States would initiate “Armageddon” by

starting World War III with Japan. The Japanese Government revoked its recognition of Aum as

a religious organization in October 1995, but in 1997 a government panel decided not to invoke

the Anti-Subversive Law against the group, which would have outlawed the cult.

Activities

On 20 March 1995, Aum members simultaneously released the chemical nerve agent sarin on

several Tokyo subway trains, killing 12 persons and injuring up to 6,000. The group was

responsible for other mysterious chemical incidents in Japan in 1994. Its efforts to conduct

attacks using biological agents have been unsuccessful. Japanese police arrested Asahara in May

1995, and he remained on trial facing 17 counts of murder at the end of 1999. From 1997 to late

1999 the cult recruited new members, built up a profitable commercial business, and bought

several properties. In September the cult declared it would cease most of its activities and in

December apologized for the sarin attack. The cult maintains an Internet home page, but shut

down almost all of its links following these announcements.

Strength

The Aum’s current membership is estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 persons. At the time of the Tokyo

subway attack, the group claimed to have 9,000 members in Japan and up to 40,000 worldwide.

Location/Area of Operation

The Aum is known to operated only in Japan, but it may have an unknown number of residual

followers in Russia.

External Aid

None.

Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) a.k.a Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna

Description

Founded in 1959 with the aim of establishing an independent homeland based on Marxist

principles in the northern Spanish Provinces of Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa, Alava, and Navarra and the

southwestern French Provinces of Labourd, Basse-Navarra, and Soule.

Activities

Primarily bombings and assassinations of Spanish Government officials, especially security and

military forces, politicians, and judicial figures. In response to French operations against the

group, ETA also has targeted French interests. ETA finances its activities through kidnappings,

robberies, and extortion. The group has killed more than 800 persons since it began lethal attacks

in the early 1960s. ETA was responsible for murdering six persons in 1998 but did not carry out

any known killings in 1999. In late November, ETA broke the “unilateral and indefinite” cease-

fire it had held since 16 September 1998.

Strength

Unknown; may have hundreds of members, plus supporters.

Location/Area of Operation

Operates primarily in the Basque autonomous regions of northern Spain and southwestern

France, but also has bombed Spanish and French interests elsewhere.

External Aid

Has received training at various times in the past in Libya, Lebanon, and Nicaragua. Some ETA

members allegedly have received sanctuary in Cuba. Also appears to have ties to the Irish

Republican Army through the two groups’ legal political wings.

Devrimci Sol (Revolutionary Left) a.k.a. Dev Sol (see Revolutionary People’s Liberation

Party/Front, DHKP/C)

ELA (see Revolutionary People’s Struggle)

ELN (see National Liberation Army)

ETA (see Basque Fatherland and Liberty)

FARC (see Revolutionary Armed forces of Colombia)

Al-Gama’at al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group, IG)

Description

Egypt’s largest militant group, active since the late 1970s; appears to be loosely organized. Has

an external wing with a worldwide presence. The group issued a cease-fire in March 1999 and has

not conducted an attack inside Egypt since August 1998. Signed Usama Bin Ladin’s fatwa in

February 1998 calling for attacks against US civilians but publicly has denied that it supports Bin

Ladin. Shaykh Umar Abd al-Rahman is al-Gama’at’s preeminent spiritual leader, and the group

publicly has threatened to retaliate against US interests for his incarceration. Primary goal is to

overthrow the Egyptian Government and replace it with an Islamic state.

Activities

Armed attacks against Egyptian security and other government officials, Coptic Christians, and

Egyptian opponents of Islamic extremism. Al-Gama’at has launched attacks on tourists in Egypt

since 1992, most notably the attack in November 1997 at Luxor that killed 58 foreign tourists.

Also claimed responsibility for the attempt in June 1995 to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni

Mubarak in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Gama’at has never specifically attacked a US citizen or

facility but has threatened US interests.

Strength

Unknown, but probably several thousand hardcore members and another several thousand

sympathizers.

Location/Area of Operation

Operates mainly in the Al Minya, Asyu’t, Qina, and Soha Governorates of southern Egypt. Also

appears to have support in Cairo, Alexandria, and other urban locations, particularly among

unemployed graduates and students. Has a worldwide presence, including the United Kingdom,

Afghanistan, and Austria.

External Aid

Unknown. The Egyptian Government believes that Iran, Sudan, and Afghan militant groups

support the organization. Also may obtain some funding through various Islamic

nongovernmental organizations.

HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement)

Description

Formed in late 1987 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Various HAMAS elements have used both political and violent means, including terrorism, to

pursue the goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel. Loosely structured,

with some elements working clandestinely and others working openly through mosques and

social service institutions to recruit members, raise money, organize activities, and distribute

propaganda. HAMAS’s strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and a few areas of the West

Bank. Also has engaged in peaceful political activity, such as running candidates in West Bank

Chamber of Commerce elections.

Activities

HAMAS activists, especially those in the Izz el-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have conducted many

attacks—including large-scale suicide bombings—against Israeli civilian and military targets. In

the early 1990s they also targeted suspected Palestinian collaborators and Fatah rivals.

Strength

Unknown number of hardcore members; tens of thousands of supporters and sympathizers.

Location/Area of Operation

Primarily the occupied territories, Israel. In August 1999, Jordanian authorities closed the

group’s Political Bureau offices in Amman, arrested its leaders, and prohibited the group from

operating on Jordanian territory.

External Aid

Receives funding from Palestinian expatriates, Iran, and private benefactors in Saudi Arabia and

other moderate Arab states. Some fundraising and propaganda activity take place in Western

Europe and North America.

Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM)

Description

HUM is an Islamic militant group based in Pakistan that operates primarily in Kashmir. Leader

Fazlur Rehman Khalil has been linked to Bin Ladin and signed his fatwa in February 1998 calling

for attacks on US and Western interests. Operates terrorist training camps in eastern Afghanistan

and suffered casualties in the US missile strikes on Bin Ladin-associated training camps in

Khowst in August 1998. Fazlur Rehman Khalil subsequently said that HUM would take revenge

on the United States.

Activities

Has conducted a number of operations against Indian troops and civilian targets in Kashmir.

Linked to the Kashmiri militant group al-Faran that kidnapped five Western tourists in Kashmir

in July 1995; one was killed in August 1995, and the other four reportedly were killed in

December of the same year.

Strength

Has several thousand armed supporters located in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, and India’s southern

Kashmir and Doda regions. Supporters are mostly Pakistanis and Kashmiris, and also include

Afghans and Arab veterans of the Afghan war. Uses light and heavy machineguns, assault rifles,

mortars, explosives, and rockets.

Location/Area of Operation

Based in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, but members conduct insurgent and terrorist activities

primarily in Kashmir. The HUM trains its militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

External Aid

Collects donations from Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf and Islamic states and from

Pakistanis and Kashmiris. The source and amount of HUM’s military funding are unknown.

Hizballah (Party of God) a.k.a. Islamic Jihad, Revolutionary Justice Organization, Organization

of the Oppressed on Earth, and Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine

Description

Radical Shia group formed in Lebanon; dedicated to creation of Iranian-style Islamic republic in

Lebanon and removal of all non-Islamic influences from the area. Strongly anti-West and anti-

Israel. Closely allied with, and often directed by, Iran but may have conducted operations that

were not approved by Tehran.

Activities

Known or suspected to have been involved in numerous anti-US terrorist attacks, including the

suicide truck bombing of the US Embassy and US Marine barracks in Beirut in October 1983 and

the US Embassy annex in Beirut in September 1984. Elements of the group were responsible for

the kidnapping and detention of US and other Western hostages in Lebanon. The group also

attacked the Israeli Embassy in Argentina in 1992 and is a suspect in the bombing in 1994 of the

Israeli cultural center in Buenos Aires.

Strength

Several thousand.

Location/Area of Operation

Operates in the Bekaa Valley, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and southern Lebanon. Has

established cells in Europe, Africa, South America, North America, and Asia.

External Aid

Receives substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic,

and organizational aid from Iran and Syria.

Islamic Resistance Movement (see HAMAS)

Japanese Red Army (JRA) a.k.a. Anti-Imperialist International Brigade (AIIB)

Description

An international terrorist group formed around 1970 after breaking away from Japanese

Communist League–Red Army Faction. Led by Fusako Shigenobu, believed to be in Syrian-

garrisoned area of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Stated goals are to overthrow Japanese Government

and monarchy and help foment world revolution. Organization unclear but may control or at least

have ties to Anti-Imperialist International Brigade (AIIB). Also may have links to Antiwar

Democratic Front—an overt leftist political organization—inside Japan. Details released

following arrest in November 1987 of leader Osamu Maruoka indicate that JRA may be

organizing cells in Asian cities, such as Manila and Singapore. Has had close and longstanding

relations with Palestinian terrorist groups—based and operating outside Japan—since its

inception.

Activities

During the 1970s, JRA conducted a series of attacks around the world, including the massacre in

1972 at Lod Airport in Israel, two Japanese airliner hijackings, and an attempted takeover of the

US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. In April 1988, JRA operative Yu Kikumura was arrested with

explosives on the New Jersey Turnpike, apparently planning an attack to coincide with the

bombing of a USO club in Naples and a suspected JRA operation that killed five, including a US

servicewoman. Kikumura was convicted of these charges and is serving a lengthy prison sentence

in the United States. In March 1995, Ekita Yukiko, a longtime JRA activist, was arrested in

Romania and subsequently deported to Japan. Eight others have been arrested since 1996, but

leader Shigenobu remains at large.

Strength

About eight hardcore members; undetermined number of sympathizers.

Location/Area of Operation

Location unknown, but possibly based in Syrian-controlled areas of Lebanon.

External Aid

Unknown.

al-Jihad a.k.a. Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Jihad Group, Islamic Jihad, Vanguards of Conquest,

Talaa’ al-Fateh

Description

Egyptian Islamic extremist group active since the late 1970s. Appears to be divided into two

factions: one is based in Afghanistan and is a key player in terrorist financier Usama Bin Ladin’s

new World Islamic Front and the other— the Vanguards of Conquest (Talaa’al-Fateh)—is led by

Ahmad Husayn Agiza. Primary goal is to overthrow the Egyptian Government and replace it

with an Islamic state. Increasingly willing to target US interests in Egypt.

Activities

Specializes in armed attacks against high-level Egyptian Government officials. The original Jihad

was responsible for the assassination in 1981 of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Appears to

concentrate on high-level, high-profile Egyptian Government officials, including cabinet ministers.

Claimed responsibility for the attempted assassinations of Interior Minister Hassan al-Alfi in

August 1993 and Prime Minister Atef Sedky in November 1993. Has not conducted an attack

inside Egypt since 1993 and has never targeted foreign tourists there. Threatened to retaliate

against the United States, however, for its incarceration of Shaykh Umar Abd al-Rahman and,

more recently, for the arrests of its members in Albania, Azerbaijan, and the United Kingdom.

Strength

Not known, but probably several thousand hardcore members and another several thousand

sympathizers among the various factions.

Location/Area of Operation

Operates in the Cairo area. Has a network outside Egypt, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, the

United Kingdom, and Sudan.

External Aid

Not known. The Egyptian Government claims that Iran, Sudan, and militant Islamic groups in

Afghanistan—including Usama Bin Ladin—support the Jihad factions. Also may obtain some

funding through various Islamic nongovernmental organizations.

Kach and Kahane Chai

Description

Stated goal is to restore the biblical state of Israel. Kach (founded by radical Israeli-American

rabbi Meir Kahane) and its offshoot Kahane Chai, which means “Kahane Lives,” (founded by

Meir Kahane’s son Binyamin following his father’s assassination in the United States) were

declared to be terrorist organizations in March 1994 by the Israeli Cabinet under the 1948

Terrorism Law. This followed the groups’ statements in support of Dr. Baruch Goldstein’s

attack in February 1994 on the al-Ibrahimi Mosque—Goldstein was affiliated with Kach—and

their verbal attacks on the Israeli Government.

Activities

Organize protests against the Israeli Government. Harass and threaten Palestinians in Hebron and

the West Bank. Have threatened to attack Arabs, Palestinians, and Israeli Government officials.

Claimed responsibility for several shootings of West Bank Palestinians that killed four persons

and wounded two in 1993.

Strength

Unknown.

Location/Area of Operation

Israel and West Bank settlements, particularly Qiryat Arba’ in Hebron.

External Aid

Receive support from sympathizers in the United States and Europe.

Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)

Description

Established in 1974 as a Marxist-Leninist insurgent group primarily composed of Turkish Kurds.

In recent years has moved beyond rural-based insurgent activities to include urban terrorism.

Seeks to establish an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey, where population is

predominantly Kurdish. Turkish authorities captured Chairman Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya in

early 1999; after his trial in late June, Turkish State Security Court sentenced him to death. In

August, Ocalan announced a “peace initiative,” ordering members to refrain from violence and

requesting dialogue with Ankara on Kurdish issues.

Activities

Primary targets are Turkish Government security forces in Turkey but also has been active in

Western Europe against Turkish targets. Conducted attacks on Turkish diplomatic and

commercial facilities in dozens of West European cities in 1993 and again in spring 1995. In an

attempt to damage Turkey’s tourist industry, the PKK has bombed tourist sites and hotels and

kidnapped foreign tourists.

Strength

Approximately 10,000 to 15,000. Has thousands of sympathizers in Turkey and Europe.

Location/Area of Operation

Operates in Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

External Aid

Has received safehaven and modest aid from Syria, Iraq, and Iran. The Syrian Government claims

to have expelled the PKK from its territory in October 1998.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Other known front organizations: World Tamil

Association (WTA), World Tamil Movement (WTM), the Federation of Associations of

Canadian Tamils (FACT), the Ellalan Force, the Sangillan Force.

Description

Founded in 1976, the LTTE is the most powerful Tamil group in Sri Lanka and uses overt and

illegal methods to raise funds, acquire weapons, and publicize its cause of establishing an

independent Tamil state. The LTTE began its armed conflict with the Sri Lankan Government in

1983 and relies on a guerrilla strategy that includes the use of terrorist tactics.

Activities

The Tigers have integrated a battlefield insurgent strategy with a terrorist program that targets

not only key government personnel in the countryside but also senior Sri Lankan political and

military leaders in Colombo. Political assassinations and bombings have become commonplace.

The LTTE has refrained from targeting Western tourists out of fear that foreign governments

would crack down on Tamil expatriates involved in fundraising activities abroad.

Strength

Exact strength is unknown, but the LTTE is estimated to have 8,000 to 10,000 armed combatants

in Sri Lanka, with a core of trained fighters of approximately 3,000 to 6,000. The LTTE also has

a significant overseas support structure for fundraising, weapons procurement, and propaganda

activities.

Location/Area of Operation

The Tigers control most of the northern and eastern coastal areas of Sri Lanka but have conducted

operations throughout the island. Headquartered in the Jaffna peninsula, LTTE leader Velupillai

Prabhakaran has established an extensive network of checkpoints and informants to keep track of

any outsiders who enter the group’s area of control. The LTTE prefers to attack vulnerable

government facilities, then withdraw before reinforcements arrive.

External Aid

The LTTE’s overt organizations support Tamil separatism by lobbying foreign governments and

the United Nations. The group also uses its international contacts to procure weapons,

communications, and bombmaking equipment. The LTTE exploits large Tamil communities in

North America, Europe, and Asia to obtain funds and supplies for its fighters in Sri Lanka.

Information obtained since the mid-1980s indicates that some Tamil communities in Europe also

are involved in narcotics smuggling. Tamils historically have served as drug couriers moving

narcotics into Europe.

Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO) a.k.a. The National Liberation Army of

Iran (NLA, the militant wing of the MEK), the People’s Mujahidin of Iran (PMOI), National

Council of Resistance (NCR), Muslim Iranian Student’s Society (front organization used to

garner financial support)

Description

Formed in the 1960s by the college-educated children of Iranian merchants, the MEK sought to

counter what it perceived as excessive Western influence in the Shah’s regime. Following a

philosophy that mixes Marxism and Islam, has developed into the largest and most active armed

Iranian dissident group. Its history is studded with anti-Western activity and, most recently,

attacks on the interests of the clerical regime in Iran and abroad.

Activities

Worldwide campaign against the Iranian Government stresses propaganda and occasionally uses

terrorist violence. During the 1970s the MEK staged terrorist attacks inside Iran and killed

several US military personnel and civilians working on defense projects in Tehran. Supported the

takeover in 1979 of the US Embassy in Tehran. In April 1992 conducted attacks on Iranian

embassies in 13 different countries, demonstrating the group’s ability to mount large-scale

operations overseas. Recent attacks in Iran include three explosions in Tehran in June 1998 that

killed three persons and the assassination in August 1998 of Asadollah Lajevardi, the former

director of the Evin Prison. In April 1999, Brigadier General Ali Sayyad Shirazi, the deputy joint

chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, was killed in Tehran by a MEK operative.

Strength

Several thousand fighters based in Iraq with an extensive overseas support structure. Most of the

fighters are organized in the MEK’s National Liberation Army (NLA).

Location/Area of Operation

In the 1980s the MEK’s leaders were forced by Iranian security forces to flee to France. Most

resettled in Iraq by 1987. In the mid-1980s the group did not mount terrorist operations in Iran at

a level similar to its activities in the 1970s. In the 1990s, however, the MEK claimed credit for an

increasing number of operations in Iran.

External Aid

Beyond support from Iraq, the MEK uses front organizations to solicit contributions from

expatriate Iranian communities.

MRTA (see Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement)

National Liberation Army (ELN)—Colombia

Description

Anti-US insurgent group formed in 1965. Began a dialogue with Colombian officials

late in 1999 following a campaign of mass kidnappings—each involving at least one

US citizen—to demonstrate its strength and continuing viability and force the Pastrana

administration to negotiate with the ELN as it does the FARC.

Activities

Kidnapping, hijacking, bombing, extortion. Involved in an insurgent war against the government,

but its military capabilities are declining. Annually conducts hundreds of kidnappings for ransom,

often targeting foreign employees of large corporations, especially in the petroleum industry.

Frequently assaults power infrastructure and has inflicted major damage on pipelines and the

electric distribution network.

Strength

Approximately 3,000 to 6,000 armed combatants, mostly in rural and mountainous areas, and an

unknown number of active supporters.

Location/Area of Operation

Colombia, border regions of Venezuela.

External Aid

Cuba provides some medical care and political consultation.

The Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ)

Description

Originated among militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the 1970s. Committed to the

creation of an Islamic Palestinian state and the destruction of Israel through holy war. Because of

its strong support for Israel, the United States has been identified as an enemy of the PIJ, but the

group has not specifically conducted attacks against US interests. Also opposes moderate Arab

governments that it believes have been tainted by Western secularism.

Activities

Has threatened to retaliate against Israel and the United States for the murder of PIJ leader Fathi

Shaqaqi in Malta in October 1995. Conducted suicide bombings against Israeli targets in the West

Bank, Gaza Strip, and Israel. Has threatened to attack US interests in Jordan.

Strength

Unknown.

Location/Area of Operation

Primarily Israel and the occupied territories and other parts of the Middle East, including Jordan

and Lebanon. Largest faction is based in Syria.

External Aid

Receives financial assistance from Iran and limited logistic support assistance from Syria.

PKK (see Kurdistan Workers’ Party)

Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)

Description

Broke away from the PFLP–GC in mid-1970s. Later split again into pro-PLO, pro-Syrian, and

pro-Libyan factions. Pro-PLO faction led by Muhammad Abbas (Abu Abbas), who became

member of PLO Executive Committee in 1984 but left it in 1991.

Activities

The Abu Abbas–led faction is known for hang glider attacks against Israel. Abbas’s group also

was responsible for the attack in 1985 on the cruise ship Achille Lauro and the murder of US

citizen Leon Klinghoffer. A warrant for Abu Abbas’s arrest is outstanding in Italy.

Strength

Unknown.

Location/Area of Operation

PLO faction based in Tunisia until Achille Lauro attack. Now based in Iraq.

External Aid

Receives support mainly from Iraq. Has received support from Libya in the past.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)

Description

Marxist-Leninist group founded in 1967 by George Habash as a member of the PLO. Joined the

Alliance of Palestinian Forces (APF) to oppose the Declaration of Principles signed in 1993 and

suspended participation in the PLO. Broke away from the APF, along with the DFLP, in 1996

over ideological differences. Took part in meetings with Arafat’s Fatah party and PLO

representatives in 1999 to discuss national unity and the reinvigoration of the PLO but continues

to oppose current negotiations with Israel.

Activities

Committed numerous international terrorist attacks during the 1970s. Since 1978 has conducted

attacks against Israeli or moderate Arab targets, including killing a settler and her son in December

1996.

Strength

Some 800.

Location/Area of Operation

Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and the occupied territories.

External Aid

Receives safehaven and some logistic assistance from Syria.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command (PFLP–GC)

Description

Split from the PFLP in 1968, claiming it wanted to focus more on fighting and less on politics.

Violently opposed to Arafat’s PLO. Led by Ahmad Jabril, a former captain in the Syrian Army.

Closely tied to both Syria and Iran.

Activities

Carried out dozens of attacks in Europe and the Middle East during 1970-80. Known for cross-

border terrorist attacks into Israel using unusual means, such as hot-air balloons and motorized

hang gliders. Primary focus now on guerrilla operations in southern Lebanon, small-scale attacks

in Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Strip.

Strength

Several hundred.

Location/Area of Operation

Headquartered in Damascus with bases in Lebanon.

External Aid

Receives logistic and military support from Syria and financial support from Iran.

al-Qaida

Description

Established by Usama Bin Ladin about 1990 to bring together Arabs who fought in Afghanistan

against the Soviet invasion. Helped finance, recruit, transport, and train Sunni Islamic extremists

for the Afghan resistance. Current goal is to “reestablish the Muslim state” throughout the world.

Works with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes it deems “non-Islamic” and

remove Westerners from Muslim countries. Issued statement under 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 US citizens, civilian or military, and their allies everywhere.

Activities

Conducted the bombings in August 1998 of the US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es

Salaam, Tanzania, that killed at least 301 persons and injured more than 5,000 others. Claims to

have shot down US helicopters and killed US servicemen in Somalia in 1993 and to have

conducted three bombings targeted against the US troop presence in Aden, Yemen, in December

1992. Linked to plans for attempted terrorist operations, including the assassination of the Pope

during his visit to Manila in late 1994, simultaneous bombings of the US and Israeli Embassies in

Manila and other Asian capitals in late 1994, the midair bombing of a dozen US trans-Pacific

flights in 1995, and a plan to kill President Clinton during a visit to the Philippines in early 1995.

Continues to train, finance, and provide logistic support to terrorist groups that support these

goals.

Strength

May have several hundred to several thousand members. Also serves as a focal point for a loose

network or umbrella organization that includes many Sunni Islamic extremist groups, including

factions of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Gama’at al-Islamiyya, and the Harakat ul-Mujahidin.

Location/Area of Operation

The Embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam underscore al-Qaida’s global reach. Bin

Ladin and his key lieutenants reside in Afghanistan and the group maintains terrorist training

camps there.

External Aid

Bin Ladin, son of a billionaire Saudi family, is said to have inherited around $300 million that he

uses to finance the group. Al-Qaida also maintains moneymaking businesses, collects donations

from like-minded supporters, and illicitly siphons funds from donations to Muslim charitable

organizations.

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)

Description

Colombia’s oldest, largest, most capable, and best equipped insurgency. Established in 1964

nominally as military wing of Colombian Communist Party. Organized along military lines and

includes several urban fronts. Has been anti-US since its inception. Entered slow-moving peace

negotiation process with the Pastrana Administration in January.

Activities

Bombings, murders, kidnappings, extortion, hijackings, as well as armed insurgent attacks against

Colombian political, military, and economic targets. In March 1999 the FARC brutally murdered

three US Indian rights activists on Venezuelan territory whom they had kidnapped in Colombia.

Foreign citizens often are targets of FARC kidnappings for ransom. Has well-documented ties to

narcotics traffickers, principally through the provision of armed protection. During 1999

continued its bombing campaign against oil pipelines.

Strength

Approximately 8,000 to 12,000 armed combatants, and an unknown number of supporters,

mostly in rural areas.

Location/Area of Operation

Colombia with increasing presence and operations in Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, and Brazil.

External Aid

Cuba provides some medical care and political consultation.

Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17 November)

Description

Radical leftist group established in 1975 and named for the student uprising in Greece in

November 1973 that protested the military regime. Anti-Greek establishment, anti-US, anti-

Turkey, anti-NATO, and committed to the ouster of US bases, removal of Turkish military

presence from Cyprus, and severing of Greece’s ties to NATO and the European Union (EU).

Possibly affiliated with other Greek terrorist groups.

Activities

Initial attacks were assassinations of senior US officials and Greek public figures. Added

bombings in 1980s. Since 1990 has expanded targets to include EU facilities and foreign firms

investing in Greece and has added improvised rocket attacks to its methods.

Strength

Unknown, but presumed to be small.

Location/Area of Operation

Athens, Greece.

External Aid

Unknown.

Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) a.k.a. Devrimci Sol (Revolutionary

Left), Dev Sol

Description

Originally formed in 1978 as Devrimci Sol, or Dev Sol, a splinter faction of the Turkish People’s

Liberation Party/ Front. Renamed in 1994 after factional infighting, it espouses a Marxist

ideology and is virulently anti-US and anti-NATO. Finances its activities chiefly through armed

robberies and extortion.

Activities

Since the late 1980s has concentrated attacks against current and retired Turkish security and

military officials. Began a new campaign against foreign interests in 1990. Assassinated two US

military contractors and wounded a US Air Force officer to protest the Gulf war. Launched

rockets at US Consulate in Istanbul in 1992. Assassinated prominent Turkish businessman in

early 1996, its first significant terrorist act as DHKP/C. Turkish authorities thwarted DHKP/C

attempt in June 1999 to fire light antitank weapon at US Consulate in Istanbul.

Strength

Unknown.

Location/Area of Operation

Conducts attacks in Turkey, primarily in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Adana. Raises funds in

Western Europe.

External Aid

Unknown.

Revolutionary People’s Struggle (ELA)

Description

Extreme leftist group that developed from opposition to the military junta that ruled Greece from

1967 to 1974. Formed in 1971, ELA is a self-described revolutionary, anticapitalist, and anti-

imperialist group that has declared its opposition to “imperialist domination, exploitation, and

oppression.” Strongly anti-US and seeks the removal of US military forces from Greece.

Activities

Since 1974 has conducted bombings against Greek Government and economic targets as well as

US military and business facilities. In 1986 stepped up attacks on Greek Government and

commercial interests. Raid on a safehouse in 1990 revealed a weapons cache and direct contacts

with other Greek terrorist groups, including 1 May and Revolutionary Solidarity. In 1991, ELA

and 1 May claimed joint responsibility for more than 20 bombings. Greek police believe they

have established a link between the ELA and the Revolutionary Organization 17 November. Has

not claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack since January 1995. ELA members, however, still

may be active and undertaking operations under the guise of other Greek terrorist group names.

Strength

Unknown.

Location/Area of Operation

Greece.

External Aid

No known foreign sponsors.

Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path, SL)

Description

SL was among the most ruthless terrorist groups formed in the late 1960s by then-university

professor Abimael Guzman, on whose teachings most of SL’s doctrine is based. Its stated goal is

to destroy existing Peruvian institutions and replace them with a peasant revolutionary regime. It

also opposes any influence by foreign governments, as well as by other Latin American guerrilla

groups, especially the MRTA.

The Peruvian Government undertook major counterterrorist operations in 1999, resulting in the

arrest and prosecution of several remaining active members of SL, including principal regional

committee leader Oscar Alberto Ramirez Durand (a.k.a. Feliciano), who had headed the group

since Guzman’s capture in 1992.

Activities

Conducted indiscriminate bombing campaigns and selective assassinations. Detonated explosives

at diplomatic missions of several countries in Peru in 1990, including an attempt to car-bomb the

US Embassy in December. Approximately 30,000 persons have died since Shining Path took up

arms in 1980 in its aim to turn Peru into a Communist state. Although SL continued to clash with

Peruvian authorities and military units, armed operations declined in 1999 because recent arrests

have decimated the group’s leadership.

Strength

Membership is unknown but estimated to be a few hundred armed militants. SL’s strength has

been vastly diminished by arrests and desertions.

Location/Area of Operation

Peru, with most activity in rural areas.

17 November (see Revolutionary Organization 17 November)

Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA)

Description

Traditional Marxist-Leninist revolutionary movement founded in 1983 and formed from

remnants of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left, a Peruvian insurgent group active in the

1960s. Aims to establish Marxist regime and to rid Peru of all imperialist elements, primarily US

and Japanese influence. Peru’s counter-terrorist program has diminished the group’s ability to

carry out terrorist attacks. MRTA has suffered from infighting, the imprisonment or deaths of

senior leaders, and loss of leftist support.

Activities

Previously conducted bombings, kidnappings, ambushes, and assassinations, but recent activity

has fallen drastically. In December 1996, 14 MRTA members occupied the Japanese

Ambassador’s residence in Lima and held 72 hostages for more than four months. Peruvian forces

stormed the residence in April 1997 rescuing all but one of the remaining hostages and killing

most of the group’s leaders. The group has not conducted a significant terrorist operation since

and appears more focused on obtaining the release of imprisoned MRTA members.

Strength

Believed to be no more than 100 members, consisting largely of young fighters who lack

leadership skills and experience.

Location/Area of Operation

Peru with supporters throughout Latin America and Western Europe. Controls no territory.

External Aid

None.

II. Other Terrorist Groups

Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB)

Description

The ABB, the breakaway urban hit squad of the Communist Party of the Philippines New

People’s Army, was formed in the mid-1980s.

Activities

Responsible for more than 100 murders and believed to have been involved in the murder in 1989

of US Army Col. James Rowe. In March 1997 the group announced it had formed an alliance

with another armed group, the Revolutionary Proletarian Army. The group claimed credit for the

rifle grenade attack on 2 December against Shell’s headquarters in Manila that injured a security

guard, demonstrating it still maintains some terrorist capabilities.

Strength

Approximately 500.

Location/Area of Operation

Operates in Manila.

External Aid

Unknown.

Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) a.k.a. Continuity Army Council

Description

Radical terrorist splinter group formed in 1994 as the clandestine armed wing of Republican Sinn

Fein (RSF), a political organization dedicated to the reunification of Ireland. RSF formed after the

Irish Republican Army announced a cease-fire in September 1994.

Activities

Bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, extortion, and robberies. Targets include British military

and Northern Irish security targets and Northern Irish Loyalist paramilitary groups. Also has

launched bomb attacks against predominantly Protestant towns in Northern Ireland. Does not

have an established presence or capability to launch attacks on the UK mainland.

Strength

Fewer than 50 hardcore activists. The group probably receives limited support from IRA

hardliners who are dissatisfied with the IRA cease-fire and from other republican sympathizers.

Location/Area of Operation

Northern Ireland, Irish Republic.

External Aid

Suspected of receiving funds and arms from sympathizers in the United States.

Irish Republican Army (IRA) a.k.a. Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA), the Provos

Description

Radical terrorist group formed in 1969 as clandestine armed wing of Sinn Fein, a legal political

movement dedicated to removing British forces from Northern Ireland and unifying Ireland. Has a

Marxist orientation. Organized into small, tightly knit cells under the leadership of the Army

Council.

Activities

Bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, punishment beatings, extortion, and robberies. Targets

have included senior British Government officials, British military and police in Northern Ireland,

and Northern Irish Loyalist paramilitary groups. Bombing campaigns have been conducted

against train and subway stations and shopping areas on mainland Britain, as well as against

British and Royal Ulster Constabulary targets in Northern Ireland and a British military facility

on the European Continent. The IRA has been observing a cease-fire since July 1997 and

previously observed a cease-fire from 1 September 1994 to February 1996.

Strength

Largely unchanged—several hundred members, plus several thousand sympathizers—but the

IRA’s strength may have been affected by operatives leaving the organization to join hardline

splinter groups.

Local/Area of Operation

Northern Ireland, Irish Republic, Great Britain, and Europe.

External Aid

Has received aid from a variety of groups and countries and considerable training and arms from

Libya and, at one time, the PLO. Is suspected of receiving funds and arms from sympathizers in

the United States. Similarities in operations suggest links to the ETA.

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)

Description

Coalition of Islamic militants from Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states opposed to

Uzbekistani President Islom Karimov’s secular regime. Goal is establishment of Islamic state in

Uzbekistan. Recent propaganda also includes anti-Western and anti-Israeli rhetoric.

Activities

Believed to be responsible for five car bombs in Tashkent in February. Instigated two hostage

crises in Kyrgyzstan in the fall, including a two-and-one-half-month crisis in which IMU

militants kidnapped four Japanese and eight Kyrgyzstanis.

Strength

Unknown, but militants probably number in the thousands.

Location/Area of Operation

Most militants believed to be in Afghanistan in the winter (1999-2000), though some may have

remained in Tajikistan. Area of operations includes Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,

Afghanistan, and Iran.

External Aid

Support from other Islamic extremist groups in Central Asia. IMU leadership broadcasts

statements over Iranian radio.

Jamaat ul-Fuqra

Description

Islamic sect that seeks to purify Islam through violence. Led by Pakistani cleric Shaykh Mubarik

Ali Gilani, who established the organization in the early 1980s. Gilani now resides in Pakistan,

but most cells are located in North America and the Caribbean. Members have purchased isolated

rural compounds in North America to live communally, practice their faith, and insulate

themselves from Western culture.

Activities

Fuqra members have attacked a variety of targets that they view as enemies of Islam, including

Muslims they regard as heretics and Hindus. Attacks during the 1980s included assassinations

and firebombings across the United States. Fuqra members in the United States have been

convicted of crimes, including murder and fraud.

Strength

Unknown.

Location/Area of Operation

North America, Pakistan.

External Aid

None.

Khmer Rouge (see the Party of Democratic Kampuchea)

Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF)

Description

Extremist terrorist group formed in 1996 as a faction of the mainstream loyalist Ulster Volunteer

Force (UVF) but did not emerge publicly until February 1997. Composed largely of UVF

hardliners who have sought to prevent a political settlement with Irish nationalists in Northern

Ireland by attacking Catholic politicians, civilians, and Protestant politicians who endorse the

Northern Ireland peace process. Mark “Swinger” Fulton has led the group since the assassination

in December 1997 of LVF founder Billy “King Rat” Wright. Has been observing a cease-fire since

15 May 1998. The LVF decommissioned a small but significant amount of weapons in December

1998, but it did not repeat this gesture in 1999.

Activities

Bombings, kidnappings, and close-quarter shooting attacks. LVF bombs often have contained

Powergel commercial explosives, typical of many loyalist groups. LVF attacks have been

particularly vicious: LVF terrorists killed an 18-year-old Catholic girl in July 1997 because she

had a Protestant boyfriend. Murdered numerous Catholic civilians with no political or terrorist

affiliations following Billy Wright’s assassination. Also has conducted successful attacks against

Irish targets in Irish border towns.

Strength

British press speculates about 250 activists.

Location/Area of Operation

Northern Ireland, Ireland.

External Aid

None.

New People’s Army (NPA)

Description

The military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the NPA is a Maoist group

formed in December 1969 with the aim of overthrowing the government through protracted

guerrilla warfare. Although primarily a rural-based guerrilla group, the NPA has an active urban

infrastructure to conduct terrorism and uses city-based assassination squads called sparrow units.

Derives most of its funding from contributions of supporters and so-called revolutionary taxes

extorted from local businesses.

Activities

The NPA primarily targets Philippine security forces, corrupt politicians, and drug traffickers.

Opposes any US military presence in the Philippines and attacked US military interests before

the US base closures in 1992. Press reports in 1999 indicated that the NPA would target US

troops participating in joint military exercises under the Visiting Forces Agreement and US

Embassy personnel.

Strength

Estimated between 6,000 and 8,000.

Location/Area of Operations

Operates in rural Luzon, Visayas, and parts of Mindanao. Has cells in Manila and other

metropolitan centers.

External Aid

Unknown.

Orange Volunteers (OV)

Description

Extremist Protestant terrorist group comprised largely of disgruntled Loyalist hardliners who

split from groups observing the cease-fire. OV seeks to prevent a political settlement with Irish

nationalists by attacking Catholic civilian interests in Northern Ireland.

Activities

Bombings, arson, beatings, possibly robberies.

Strength

Possibly around 20 hardcore members, many of whom are experienced in terrorist tactics and

bombmaking.

Location/Area of Operations

Northern Ireland.

External Aid

None.

The Party of Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge)

Description

The Khmer Rouge (KR) Communist insurgency ended in 1999 after a series of defections,

military defeats, and the capture of group leader Ta Mok. The US State Department removed the

group from the list of designated foreign terrorist organizations in 1999. The Cambodian

Government has been working on a draft law for the United Nations to establish a court to try

former KR for the deaths of up to 2 million persons in Cambodia during the 1975-79 period.

Activities

Former KR may engage in criminal-type activities, especially against Vietnamese nationals.

Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) (see Irish Republican Army)

Qibla and People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD)

Description

Qibla is a small South African Islamic extremist group led by Achmad Cassiem, who was inspired

by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini. Cassiem founded Qibla in the 1980s, seeking to establish an

Islamic state in South Africa. PAGAD began in 1996 as a community anticrime group fighting

drug lords in Cape Town’s Cape Flats section. PAGAD now shares Qibla’s anti-Western stance

as well as some members and leadership. Though each group is distinct, the media often treat

them as one. Both use front names including Muslims Against Global Oppression (MAGO) and

Muslims Against Illegitimate Leaders (MAIL) when launching anti-Western campaigns.

Activities

Qibla and PAGAD routinely protest US policies toward the Muslim world and use radio station

786 to promote their message and mobilize Muslims. PAGAD is suspected in the car-bombing

on 1 January of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town and the firebombing of a US-

affiliated restaurant on 8 January. PAGAD is also believed to have masterminded the bombing on

25 August of the Cape Town Planet Hollywood.

Strength

Qibla is estimated at 250 members. Police estimate there are at least 50 gunmen in PAGAD, and

the size of PAGAD-organized demonstrations suggests it has considerably more adherents than

Qibla.

Location/Area of Operation

Operate mainly in the Cape Town area, South Africa’s foremost tourist venue.

External Aid

Probably have ties to Islamic extremists in the Middle East.

Real IRA (RIRA) a.k.a True IRA

Description

Formed in February-March 1998 as clandestine armed wing of the 32-County Sovereignty

Movement, a “political pressure group” dedicated to removing British forces from Northern

Ireland and unifying Ireland. The 32-County Sovereignty Movement opposed Sinn Fein’s

adoption in September 1997 of the Mitchell principles of democracy and nonviolence and

opposed the amendment in May 1998 of Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution, which lay

claim to Northern Ireland. Former IRA “quartermaster general” Mickey McKevitt leads the

group; Bernadette Sands-McKevitt, his common law wife, is the vice chair of the 32-County

Sovereignty Movement.

Activities

Bombings, assassinations, and robberies. Most Real IRA members are former IRA who opposed

the IRA’s cease-fire and bring to RIRA a wealth of experience in terrorist tactics and

bombmaking. Targets include British military and police in Northern Ireland and Northern Irish

Protestant communities. Has attempted several unsuccessful bomb attacks on the UK mainland.

Claimed responsibility for the car-bomb attack in Omagh, Northern Ireland, on 15 August 1998

that killed 29 and injured 220 persons. RIRA has been observing a cease-fire since the bombing.

Strength

About 70, plus possible limited support from IRA hardliners dissatisfied with the current IRA

cease-fire and other republican sympathizers.

Location/Area of Operation

Northern Ireland, Irish Republic, Great Britain.

External Aid

Suspected of receiving funds from sympathizers in the United States. Press reports claim Real

IRA leaders also have sought to gain support from Libya and to purchase weapons in Eastern

Europe and the Balkans.

Red Hand Defenders (RHD)

Description

Extremist terrorist group composed largely of Protestant hardliners from loyalist groups

observing a cease-fire. RHD seeks to prevent a political settlement with Irish nationalists by

attacking Catholic civilian interests in Northern Ireland.

Activities

RHD has carried out numerous pipe bombing and arson attacks against “soft” civilian targets

such as homes, churches, and private businesses to cause outrage in the republican community

and to provoke IRA retaliation. RHD claimed responsibility for the car-bombing murder on 15

March of Rosemary Nelson, a prominent Catholic nationalist lawyer and human rights

campaigner in Northern Ireland.

Strength

Approximately 20 hardcore members, many of whom have considerable experience in terrorist

tactics and bombmaking.

Location/Area of Operation

Northern Ireland.

External Aid

None.

Sikh Terrorism

Description

Sikh terrorism is sponsored by expatriate and Indian Sikh groups who want to carve out an

independent Sikh state called Khalistan (Land of the Pure) from Indian territory. Active groups

include Babbar Khalsa, International Sikh Youth Federation, Dal Khalsa, Bhinderanwala Tiger

Force, and the Saheed Khalsa Force.

Activities

Attacks in India are mounted against Indian officials and facilities, other Sikhs, and Hindus; they

include assassinations, bombings, and kidnappings. Attacks have dropped markedly since 1992,

as Indian security forces have killed or captured numerous senior Sikh militant leaders and have

conducted successful Army, paramilitary, and police operations. Many low-intensity bombings

that might be attributable to Sikh extremists now occur without claims of credit.

Strength

Unknown.

Location/Area of Operation

Northern India, western Europe, Southeast Asia, and North America.

External Aid

Militant cells are active internationally, and extremists gather funds from overseas Sikh

communities. Sikh expatriates have formed a variety of international organizations that lobby for

the Sikh cause overseas. Most prominent are the World Sikh Organization and the International

Sikh Youth Federation.

Zviadists

Description

Extremist supporters of deceased former Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Launched a

revolt against his successor, Eduard Shevardnadze, which was suppressed in late 1993. Some

Gamsakhurdia sympathizers formed a weak legal opposition in Georgia, but others remain

opposed to Shevardnadze’s rule and seek to overthrow him. Some Gamsakhurdia government

officials fled to Russia following Gamsakhurdia’s ouster in 1991 and were using Russia as a base

of operations to bankroll anti-Shevardnadze activities.

Activities

Conducted bombings and kidnappings. Attempted two assassinations against Shevardnadze—in

August 1995 and in February 1998. Took UN personnel hostage following the attempt in

February 1998 but released the hostages unharmed. Zviadists conducted no violent activity in

1999.

Strength

Unknown.

Location/Area of Operation

Georgia, especially Mingrelia, and Russia.

External Aid

May have received support and training in Chechen terrorist training camps. Chechen

mercenaries participated in the assassination attempt against Shevardnadze in February 1998.

Appendix D

Extraditions and Renditions of Terrorists to the United States, 1993-99

Date Name Extradition or

Rendition

From

March 1993 Mahmoud Abu Halima

(February 1993 World Trade Center bombing)

Extradition *

July 1993 Mohammed Ali Rezaq

(November 1985 hijacking of Egyptair 648)

Rendition Nigeria

February 1995Ramzi Ahmed Yousef

(January 1995 Far East bomb plot,

February 1993 World Trade Center bombing)

Extradition Pakistan

April 1995 Abdul Hakim Murad

(January 1995 Far East bomb plot)

Rendition Philippines

August 1995 Eyad Mahmoud Ismail Najim

(February 1993 World Trade Center bombing)

Extradition Jordan

December 1995

Wali Khan Amin Shah

(January 1995 Far East bomb plot)

Rendition *

September 1996

Tsutomu Shirosaki

(May 1986 attack on US Embassy, Jakarta)

Rendition *

June 1997 Mir Aimal Kansi

(January 1993 shooting outside CIA headquarters)

Rendition *

June 1998 Mohammed Rashid

(August 1982 Pan Am bombing)

Rendition *

August 1998 Mohamed Rashed Daoud Al-Owhali

(August 1998 US Embassy bombing in Kenya)

Rendition Kenya

August 1998 Mohamed Sadeek Odeh

(August 1998 US Embassy bombing in Kenya)

Rendition Kenya

December 1998

Mamdouh Mahmud Salim

(August 1998 East Africa bombings)

Extradition Germany

October 1999 Khalfan Khamis Mohamed

(August 1998 US Embassy bombing in Tanzania)

Rendition South Africa

* Country not disclosed

[end of document]