This article explains everything you need to know about the fighters in syria. Terrorism and syriaa crisis of the world the lancet. Dec, 20 there are believed to be as many as 1,000 armed opposition groups in syria, commanding an estimated 100,000 fighters. It enables tehran to shore up key allies like the syrian regime of bashar alasad. Syria security situation european asylum support office. This is one of the rebel groups in syria which receive assistance from the u. Foreign terrorist organizations ftos are foreign organizations that are designated by the secretary of state in accordance with section 219 of the immigration and nationality act ina, as amended. While managing to gain some measure of support from the.
Americas view of the enemy still centers on the terrorist threats that specific salafijihadi groups pose to the united states homeland or american interests. Omar haj kadourafpgettyimages hayat tahrir alsham hts or the organization for the liberation of the levant traces its beginnings to the outset of the syrian civil war and has remained a dangerous opposition force throughout the duration of the conflict. We know that the soviets at least indirectly have given material support to terrorists. Terrorist designations of groups operating in syria. Terrorist groups in syria the washington institute for. Terrorist groups operating in syria routinely use kidnapping as a. Details on each organization s aims and areas of operation are provided. In view of its profound hostility to israel, syria has supported the palestinian terrorist organizations and hezbollah for many years.
Mar 14, 2019 its experience fighting in syria has expanded al qaedas contacts, and, given the proliferation of jihadist groups pdf worldwide67 active groups as of 2019there will be more opportunities for al qaeda to work with likeminded terrorists from north africa to southeast asia. The islamic state of iraq and syria also know as isis or isilis a jihadist militant group and terrorist organization that formed in 1999. Serbian authorities and their yugoslav predecessors regard the kosovo liberation army. The group has been labeled a terrorist organization by turkey, australia, new zealand, canada, saudi arabia, the u. Response congressional research service 2 emerged as a persistent challenge for u. In this work we study the extent to which isis is able to spread their message beyond their immediate supporters. Policy department, directorate general for external policies. Mar 08, 2020 frances support for extremist groups in syria, particularly near idlib, dates back to the earliest days of the 2011 ciabacked antigovernment rebellion. Countries determined by the secretary of state to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism are designated pursuant to three laws. This research examines the comparison of terrorist groups in nigeria and syria. The quds force helps arm, train and otherwise support numerous insurgent and rebel groups in afghanistan, iraq, syria, yemen, the palestinian territories and other areas, and its activities are. To designate a country as a state sponsor of terrorism, the secretary of state must determine that the government of such country has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism. In addition, ongoing debates within al qaeda itselfover leadership and tacticsmay prompt a reexamination of u.
Among the signatory rebel groups were alnusra front, ahrar ashsham and altawheed. Moving forward, in 2018, the terrorist threat will. Terrorist attacks on the continent have surged since the killing of four people at the jewish museum in brussels in may, 2014. Restricting terrorist travel remained a top priority. This entry provides information on the us state departments designated foreign terrorist organizations headquartered in a specific country, which may or may not be a groups country of origin. Iran continues to officially deny the presence of its combat troops in syria, maintaining that it provides military advice to assads forces in their fight against terrorist groups. Local alliances and rivalries shape nearrepeat terror activity. Terrorist groups like the islamic state of iraq and syria isis have exploited social media such as twitter to spread their propaganda and to recruit new members. Pdf the number of european foreign fighters with a jihadist political agenda. Fto designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to. Syria and iraqbased insurgent terrorist group known as the islamic state is, also known as. In fact, terrorism of the middle east origin accounted for about 40 percent of all international terrorism in 1984, and two. The threat is compounded by globalization, with barriers to. The airstrike was carried out when the syrian army was repelling a largescale offensive by terrorist group hayat tahrir alsham hts, an offshoot of alqaeda in syria, inside the idlib deescalation zone, the russian military said on friday.
Since january 2017, it has been operating as a part of the hayat tahrir alsham hts coalition. Against the backdrop of a devastating threeyear drought, economic woes, extensive social unrest, and the presence of nonstate armed groups such as isis, the uprising in syria began as part of the arab spring in 2011, when protestors sought the end to president alassad s regime. The department of state announced the amendment of the designation of alqaida in iraq aqi as a foreign terrorist organization fto under section 219 of the immigration and nationality act and as a specially designated global terrorist entity under section 1b of executive order e. The islamic state of iraq and the levant isilisis number of fighters. The committees hearings investigate key challenges to u. The rise of this latest qaeda branch in syria, as well as the operations of other qaeda affiliates in west africa, somalia, yemen and afghanistan, underscore the terrorist group s enduring. Pdf on dec 29, 2015, tim anderson and others published syria.
Listed terrorist groups and humanitarian crises syria. The following is an excerpt from his prepared remarks. This includes multiple groups designated by the united states as foreign terrorist organizations ftos, including the islamic state of iraq and syria isis and its regional affiliates, alqaida aq and its regional. Turkish soldiers were with terrorist groups when they. The number of deaths from terrorism fell in 2018 for the fourth year in a row. Jessica stern fellow at the hoover institution and fxb center for human rights, harvard university and megan k. Turkish supported jihadists prepare to go to the frontline near the village of neirab, in idlib province, syria, feb. Syria is demanding that israel give up its control over an area of about 1,200 square kilometers in the golan heights, which was occupied by israel in 1967. The national anti terrorism committee maintains a list of terrorist organizations on its website nac. Its a usdesignated terrorist organization that is also one of the most effective fighting forces among the rebels in the syria conflict. However, syria has not been directly involved in terrorist operations since 1986, according to the state department, and the country bars syria based groups from launching attacks from syria or. In part that was down to the successful campaign against islamic state, but other groups are becoming more violent. Washington institute senior fellow andrew tabler addressed the house subcommittee on terrorism, nonproliferation, and trade, outlining steps the united states can take to help the syrian opposition maintain its national character and contain the influence of extremist groups.
The terrorist threat posed by westerners returning from syria and. Are they operating in their own sphere with limited. The research focuses on different attack types and weapon. Tehran has funded international terrorist groups such as hizballah, hamas, and palestinian islamic jihad.
In a january 2020 press release, the syrian observatory for human rights released its tally of all fatalities in the syrian civil war up to that point, broken down by faction. In july 2017 trump ordered that the cia cease supplying weapons to syrian terrorist groups. Aug 06, 20 the terrorist groups and socalled organizations as the syrian alqaeda offshoot branch in syria normally lead the war against the syrian arab army saa and the secular government, including the syrian president alassad, in the capital damascus because they are better trained and organized than the other criminal groups, consisting either. In response, states are utilizing a range of counter terrorism measures, from criminal justice. Who is supporting isis and who is fighting against them. The united states and its allies are now facing a convergence of threats in syria, with direct iranian influence via terrorist groups at an alltime high in syria and the levant as a whole, and al qaeda affiliates also spreading among the opposition. The weapons and related armaments are typically either shipped into friendly ports, or flown into us bases in turkey and jordan and then shipped overland to their terrorist group destinations. Since the attacks on september 11th, global initiatives to stop terrorism have taken place around the globe, most notably in the middle east. How america armed terrorists in syria consortiumnews. Support for militant and terrorist groups in iraq, syria, yemen, and elsewhere benefits iran in several ways. National defense force ndf syria terrorist groups trac. Since the early 1970s, rand has explored the structure and activities of terrorist organizations most recently isis and its offshootsto understand their motivations, their recruitment and training methods, and why some are more successful than others. Since the civil uprising phase of the syrian civil war, iran has provided the syrian government with financial, technical, and military support, including training and some combat troops. Led by an iraqi called abu bakr albaghdadi, isis was originally an alqaida group in iraq, the islamic state of iraq isi.
While there is currently no information indicating that the syrian government has transferred wmd to terrorist organizations or would permit such groups to acquire them, syrias ties to numerous terrorist groups underlie. Terrorist groups spin covid19 as gods smallest soldier. According to lister, the british researcher on jihadists in syria who maintains contacts with both jihadist and other armed groups, recipients of cia weapons, such as the fursan al haq brigade and. Washington supports the islamic state isis, the evidence find, read and cite all the. Foreign terrorist organizations united states department of. Us and terrorist groups in desperate rearguard actions in syria. The first womens unit of the national defence forces in syria, founded in the central city of homs in 20, has 450 fighters from 18 to 50 years of age. Considered the worlds richest terrorist organisation, the group s wealth allows it to control territories acquired by force, allowing it to pursue its expansionist agenda. Terrorist acts are carried out by a loosely integrated web of violent actors, aptly described by experts as an armed underground that is comprised of diffuse and fractured. Download the backgrounder figure 1 fighters from hts train in idlib province, syria. Terrorist groups spin covid19 as gods smallest soldier attacking west bleeding the u. How america armed terrorists in syria the american. In response, states are utilizing a range of counterterrorism measures, from criminal justice module 1 introduction to international terrorism 3.
The international centre for counterterrorism icct the hague is an. State supported terrorism by iran, syria, and libya subject. These actions were critical steps in cutting off the flow of resources that might be used to commit terrorist attacks. The assad regimes support for jihadist groups was equally visible in the early stages of the syrian conflict. The information about the groups aims was given to parliament when they were proscribed. Islamic state, terrorism, jihadism, is funding, syria, iraq. Islamic state in syria and the levant isil, or daesh, a trend that shows no sign of abating. As the syrian civil war intensified, its involvement in the conflict. With so much attention focused on one particular area, it is easy to forget that their are domestic terrorist groups in our. In 2019, turkey launched a cross border military operation attempting to expel syrian kurdish u. Syria, a sponsor of numerous terrorist organizations, is a country whose actions we must follow carefully in this regard. The islamic state of iraq and syriaalso know as isis or isilis a jihadist militant group and terrorist organization that formed in 1999. The following list of designated terrorist groups have been created by national governments, former governments, and intergovernmental. Foreign terrorist organizations united states department.
A number of national governments and international organisations have created lists of designated terrorist organisations, though there is no consistency as to which organisations are so designated. State completed 51 designation actions against terrorist groups and individuals, and the department of the treasury completed 157 terrorism designations. Top 15 most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world. It is an internationally sanctioned terrorist group it is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the u. This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Syrian arab republic, which was a founding member of the 1979 list of state sponsors of terrorism, has devolved into three syrias in which u. If you use assistive technology such as a screen reader and need a version of this document. The same terrorism in syria has a long history dating from the islamist uprising in the early 1980s and to the ongoing syrian civil war which witnessed the rise of radical islamist groups such as isil, alnusra and other alqaeda affiliated groups. How terrorism helps and hurts iran the washington post. Field listing terrorist groups home based the world. Against the backdrop of a devastating threeyear drought, economic woes, extensive social unrest, and the presence of nonstate armed groups such as isis, the uprising in syria began as part of the arab spring in 2011, when protestors sought the end to president alassads regime. Ftfs could also maintain regular contact with their family.
The major risk to the west, the middle east, africa and asia will come from islamist extremist groups with radicalised segments of migrant and diaspora communities. In syria, there are numerous terrorist groups, including hayat altahrir alsham previously known as both jabhat fateh alsham and alnusra and jaysh alislam. Title 22 of the us code, section 2656f, which requires the department of state to provide an annual report to congress on terrorism, requires the report to include, inter alia, information on terrorist groups and umbrella groups under which any terrorist group falls, known to be responsible for the kidnapping or death of any us citizen during the preceding five years. Sees rising threat in the west from qaeda branch in syria. Meet the terrorist group playing the long game in syria. A single federal list of organizations recognized as terrorist is used by the supreme court of the russian federation. Syria, and libya middle eastern based terrorist groups and states are major perpetrators of terrorism that can ultimately be described as state sponsored. Uk counter terrorism policing has information and advice on staying safe abroad and what to do in the event of a terrorist.
This entry provides information on the us state departments designated foreign terrorist organizations headquartered in a specific country, which may or may not be a group s country of origin. The nature and sources of terrorist threat in russia. Pdf dealing with european foreign fighters in syria. Apr, 2016 during the period between july 2012 and july 20, lack of discipline and internal strife destabilized fsa, while jihadist groups entered northern syria and gained more power. List of terrorist groups or organisations banned under uk law, and details of proscription criteria.
While there is currently no information indicating that the syrian government has transferred wmd to terrorist organizations or would permit such groups to acquire them, syria s ties to numerous terrorist groups underlie. Pdf global trends in kidnapping by terrorist groups. The fsa joined a coalition called supreme military council of syria, in september 2014. Once a country is designated, it remains a state sponsor of terrorism until the designation is rescinded in accordance with statutory criteria. As long as terrorist groups identify ideologically with the soviet union and continue primarily to attack nonbloc targets, however, the soviets benefit. Despite loss of territory by isis in 2015, and thus loss of access to resources, the. It misses that these groups are part of a global movement that persists. Terrorist organizations have long threatened the security, infrastructure, and citizens of nations and communities throughout the world. They are led by abu mohammad aljulani, and their importance lies in the terrorist group being the stoutest supporters of the syrian rebels that are fighting the government of bashar alassad. Highly fragmented, diffused, and complex, terrorism in russia remains largely homegrown and probably quite resilient to the influence of transnational terrorist groups. Details on each organizations aims and areas of operation are provided. Frances fingerprints are all over terrorist groups in idlib.