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- Terrorist is a label applied by governments, not an accepted term for an organization.
- Not every government agrees on who are terrorists.
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One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.
There is no universally agreed-upon definition of terrorist or terrorism, and everyone disagrees on who the terrorists are, who the freedom fighters are, and which governments are legitimate or deserve to be resisted and overthrown. Too often, the label of terrorist has been given to any organization that opposes U.S. intervention and control anywhere in the world, even when that intervention overthrows a legitimate government. Things haven’t changed that much over the years.
But today, who are the official terrorist organizations according to the United States government? We looked at the official list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations maintained by the U.S. Department of State.
How Does the U.S. Decide Who Are Terrorists?
Masked terrorist.
In order to be designated a foreign terrorist organization, the group must fit three criteria. First, it must be a foreign-based organization. Second, it must engage in “terrorist activity” or have “capability and intent” to commit terrorism. Third, this terrorism activity must threaten the national security of the United States.
It goes without saying that this gives the U.S. government plenty of wiggle room to determine which groups are terrorists and which ones are freedom fighters. So, for example, while many countries have accused the Israel Defense Force of terrorism and committing many of the same crimes as organizations on this list, the U.S. would never label it a terrorist organization.
A keen eye and honest mind might notice that organized religion and oppression by foreign governments are the most likely factors to give rise to terrorist organizations. This is not coincidence, and it’s not new.
It is important to note that this is a list of foreign terrorist organizations, and does not include any domestic terrorist organizations such as the Army of God, Aryan Nations, Atomwaffen Division, Jewish Defense League, Ku Klux Klan, or the Phineas Priesthood.
#1 ISIS
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Also known as the Islamic State, ISIS was founded in 1999 and claims religious, military, and political authority over all Muslims in the world. It gained the most popularity when it conquered vast territories in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
There are many branches and splinter groups of ISIS on the list, including the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Abu Sayyaf Group, ISIS in the Greater Sahara, ISIS-Bangladesh, ISIS-DRC, ISIS-Libya, ISIS-Mozambique, ISIS-Philippines, ISIS-Sinai Province, ISIS-West Africa, and Islamic State’s Khorasan Province.
#2 Ansar al-Shari’a
Damaged home.
There are various branches of Ansar al-Shari’a considered terrorist organizations by the U.S., including the branches in Benghazi, Darnah, and Tunisia. All have pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda.
#3 Boko Haram
Boko Haram victims.
Boko Haram is a jihadist organization active in Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and Mali. Its goal is to spread Sunni Islam and eliminate Shia Islam.
#4 Communist Party of the Philippines (CCP)
Philippines.
The CCP is a far-left revolutionary party established in 1968 with the purpose of overthrowing the Philippine government and removing U.S. control over the country. Its ranks exploded under the brutal, dictatorial rule of far-right president Ferdinand Marcos.
#5 Al-Qaeda
September 11, 2001.
Al-Qaeda is a Sunni jihadist group with the goal of uniting all the Muslims in the world in one state. It is the result of CIA Operation Cyclone that trained, funded, and equipped Afghan people in order to fight the Soviet Union.
The list also includes al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent, and al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb.
#6 Shining Path
Peru.
Shining Path is a Marxist guerrilla group active in Peru, and launched a people’s war in 1980 in order to establish a New Democracy.
#7 National Liberation Army (ELN)
Bolivia.
There are various groups and branches that go by this name, but they are all communist guerrilla armies active in fighting against their governments. There are ELN groups in Algeria, Bolivia, Colombia, Iran, Ireland, Libya, North Macedonia, Peru, and more.
#8 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
Sri Lanka.
The LTTE was organized in 1976 in response to the violent and brutal persecution of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.
#9 Indian Mujahedeen
India.
The Indian Mujahedeen is one of many Islamic terrorist groups active in India and responsible for many recent bombing attacks.
#10 Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
Colombia.
The FARC is a communist guerrilla army established in 1964 as a peasant resistance to the imperial rulers and oppression. It voluntarily disarmed itself in 2017 and reformed itself as a legal political party, but a small number returned to armed conflict soon after.
#11 Segunda Marquetalia
Colombia.
These are the dissidents of the FARC that continue to fight in South America.
#12 Harakat Sawa’d Misr (HASM)
Egypt.
Founded in 2016, HASM is an Islamist group active in Egypt with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
#13 Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq
Iraq.
This is a Shia political party and paramilitary group active in Iraq. It was primarily active in trying to drive U.S. forces out of Iraq from 2006 to 2011.
#14 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
Iran.
The IRGC is the primary branch of the armed forces of Iran. It is Iran’s primary tool of controlling the Persian Gulf and holds significant political power.
#15 Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM)
Benin.
JNIM was organized in 2017 after the union of several smaller organizations in West Africa and is the fastest-growing terrorist organization in the world.
#16 al-Ashtar Brigades (AAB)
Bahrain.
The AAB is the paramilitary division of the Islamic Resistance of Bahrain and has sworn allegiance to Iran.
#17 Hizbul Mujahideen
Kashmir Conflict.
This is an Islamist organization based in Pakistan and primarily engaged in the Kashmir insurgency which seeks to liberate Kashmir from India.
#18 Hezbollah
Lebanon.
Hezbollah is an Islamist political party in Lebanon with a paramilitary wing known as the Jihad Council. It was founded in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 in order to defend civilians from Israeli aggression.
#19 Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq al Naqshabandi (JRTN)
Iraq.
Also known as the Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order, this one of a group of Ba’athist military groups opposing U.S. forces in Iraq.
#20 al-Nusrah Front
Syria.
This group is also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham or the Front for the Conquest of the Levant. It is fighting against the Syrian government and its dictator in the Syrian Civil War.
#21 al-Mulathamun Battalion
Algiers, North Africa.
Better known as the al-Mulathamun Brigade, this group was active in North Africa and West Africa before merging with other groups to form JNIM.
#22 Ansaru
Tunisia, North Africa.
Ansaru, also known as Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa, is a splinter group of Boko Haram and pledges allegiance to al-Qaeda.
#23 Ansar al-Dine
Mali.
This is an Islamist group that was active in Mali before it joined JNIM.
#24 Haqqani Network
Afghanistan.
This is an Islamist group active in Afghanistan. It was supported by the U.S. when it fought against the Soviet Union, then it fought against US-led forces in the region after. Some consider this to be an informal division in the Taliban.
#25 Abdallah Azzam Brigades
Lebanon.
This is an Islamist group in Lebanon with numerous networks in countries in the region.
#26 Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid (JAT)
Malaysia.
JAT is active in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is a splinter group of the Jemaah Islamiyah group.
#27 Army of Islam
Israel destroying civilian homes in Gaza.
Army of Islam is a political and militant organization in the Gaza Strip. It is repressed by Hamas which considers its activities too extreme.
Only the United States and the UAE have labeled this group a terrorist organization.
#28 Jaysh al-Adl
Iran.
Jaysh al-Adl is a Sunni military group that seeks to establish an autonomous Baloch state in southern Iran.
#29 Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan
Pakistan.
This is also known as the Pakistani Taliban and is an umbrella term used for many armed groups in the region. It has sworn allegiance to the Afghan Taliban.
#30 Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HuJI)
Bangladesh.
The HuJI is a Pakistani organization with ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. It is most active in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
#31 Kata’ib Hizballah
Iraq.
Kata’ib Hizballah is a Shia paramilitary organization in Iraq. It seeks to establish a new government in Iraq that is friendly to Iran.
#32 Revolutionary Struggle
Greece.
The Revolutionary Struggle is a Greek anarchist organization with anti-imperialist views and goals. It was founded in 2003.
#33 Hamas
Israel maintaining an apartheid state in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas stands for Islamic Resistance Movement and is a political party with a strong military wing active in Palestine. It was elected to power in 2007 and governs the Gaza Strip.
#34 Islamic Jihad Union (IJU)
Pakistan.
The IJU is an Islamist group based in Pakistan and has strong ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
#35 Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami
Pakistan.
This is an extremist Islamist group in Pakistan that has strong ties to the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
#36 Continuity Irish Republican Army
Ireland.
This is a paramilitary group that fights to achieve a united Ireland against U.K. rule.
#37 Ansar al-Islam
Pakistan.
This is an Islamist group active in Pakistan and primarily fights with other extremist rivals.
#38 Lashkar i Jhangvi
Pakistan.
This is a military organization active in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It primarily attacks Shia Muslim communities.
#39 Jemaah Islamiya
Indonesia.
This is an Islamist group active in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and more. It fights to create an Islamic State in the region.
#40 Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade
A father looks through his home destroyed by Israel.
This is a coalition of armed militias in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It was organized in response to Israeli aggression and invasions and continues to resist Israeli military forces.
#41 Asbat al-Ansar
Lebanon.
This is an Islamist fundamentalist group that wants to overthrow the secular government of Lebanon.
#42 Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)
The Kashmir region.
This is a jihadist group based in Pakistan and active in the Kashmir region. It fights to liberate Kashmir from India and unite it with Pakistan.
#43 Lashkar-e-Tayyiba
Kashmir region.
This is a Pakistani Islamist organization and is one of the most powerful in the country. It has the goal to reunite the Kashmir region with Pakistan.
#44 New Irish Republican Army
Ireland.
The New IRA is a republican paramilitary organization dedicated to eliminating British security forces in Northern Ireland.
#45 Harakat ul-Mujahidin
Kashmir region.
This is a Pakistan-based organization with links to Osama bin Laden and operates primarily in the Kashmir region.
#46 Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party (DHKP-C)
Turkey.
The DHKP-C is a Marxist-Leninist party in Turkey founded in 1978 and has waged a militant revolutionary campaign against the authoritarian government of Turkey ever since.
#47 PFLP-General Command
Results of Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians.
This is the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. It is a militant group and a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). It split from the PFLP in 1968.
#48 Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Israel’s apartheid state.
Though similar in name, the PFLP predates the General Command. It is a Marxist revolutionary party and does not recognize Israel as a state.
#49 Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
Palestine.
This is an offshoot organization of the Muslim Brotherhood and fights against a two-state solution in the region.
#50 Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)
Palestine.
The PLF is a political party that resists Israel’s power and influence in the region. Only the U.S. and Canada recognize it as a terrorist organization.
#51 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
Turkey.
The PKK is a political party with an armed wing engaged in guerilla activities against Turkey and Iraq. It seeks autonomy and more political and cultural protections for Kurds in Turkey.
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