Terrorist Organizations

NAME: Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 2000

GOALS: Drive the Israeli military and people from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem and establish a Palestinian state.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: At least five U.S. citizens have been killed in attacks, but probably not because of their citizenship. The group mainly targets Israeli military personnel and civilians.

STRENGTH: Unknown.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Mainly in the West Bank, but has also claimed responsibility for attacks inside Israel and the Gaza Strip.

AFFILIATIONS: Unknown.

COMMENTS: Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is composed of cells of Fatah-affiliated activists that emerged with the onset of the intifadah in 2000. In January 2002, an al-Aqsa member became the first female suicide bomber in the intifadah. The group was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on March 27, 2002.

NAME: Red Hand Defenders (RHD)

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: Late 1990s.

GOALS: Prevent a political settlement with Irish nationalists by attacking Catholic civilian interests in Northern Ireland.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: Up to 20 members.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Northern Ireland.

AFFILIATIONS: None.

COMMENTS: Extremist terrorist group composed largely of Protestant hardliners from other loyalist groups observing a cease-fire. RHD was quiet in 2000, following a damaging crackdown by security forces in late 1999. In prior years, the group has carried out numerous pipe bombings 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. NOT a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) but listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: Real IRA (RIRA) a.k.a. True IRA

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: February-March 1998.

GOALS: Removing British forces from Northern Ireland and unifying Ireland.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: 150 to 200.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Northern Ireland, Irish Republic, Great Britain.

AFFILIATIONS: Possible limited support from IRA hardliners dissatisfied with the IRA cease-fire and other republican sympathizers. Suspected of receiving funds from sympathizers in the United States. RIRA also is thought to have purchased sophisticated weapons from the Balkans, according to press reports.

COMMENTS: The clandestine armed wing of the 32-County Sovereignty Movement, a "political pressure group" opposed to Sinn Fein's adoption of the Mitchell principles of democracy and nonviolence 1999 additions to the Irish Constitution, which lay claim to Northern Ireland. Listed as "active" during 2000, it was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on October 5, 2001.

NAME: Orange Volunteers (OV)

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: Late 1990s.

GOALS: Prevent a political settlement with Irish nationalists.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: Up to 20 hard-core members, some of whom are experienced in terrorist tactics and bomb making.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Northern Ireland.

AFFILIATIONS: None.

COMMENTS: Comprised largely of disgruntled loyalist hardliners who split from groups observing the cease-fire. The OV declared a cease-fire in September 2000, but the group maintains the ability to conduct bombings, arson, beatings, and possibly robberies. NOT a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) but listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF)

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1996.

GOALS: 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.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: Approximately 150.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Ireland, Northern Ireland.

AFFILIATIONS: None.

COMMENTS: Terrorist group formed as a faction of the mainstream loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), the LVF did not emerge publicly until February 1997. Composed largely of UVF hardliners. Has been observing a cease-fire since May 1998. The LVF decommissioned a small but significant amount of weapons in December 1998, but it has not repeated this gesture, and in fact threatened in 2000 to resume killing Catholics. In 2000, the LVF also engaged in a brief but violent feud with other loyalists in which several individuals were killed. NOT a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) but listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: Irish Republican Army (IRA) a.k.a. Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA), the Provos

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1969.

GOALS: Removing British forces from Northern Ireland and unifying Ireland.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: Several hundred members, plus several thousand sympathizers.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Northern Ireland, Irish Republic, Great Britain, Europe.

AFFILIATIONS: Has, in the past, received aid from a variety of groups and countries and considerable training and arms from Libya and the PLO. Is suspected of receiving funds, arms, and other terrorist-related materiel from sympathizers in the United States. Similarities in operations suggest links to the ETA.

COMMENTS: Terrorist group formed as the clandestine armed wing of Sinn Fein, a legal political movement. Has a Marxist orientation. Organized into small, tightly knit cells under the leadership of the Army Council. Despite of some members to the dissident splinter groups, its numbers have remained steady. The IRA has been observing a cease-fire since July 1997 and previously observed a cease-fire from September 1994 to February 1996. NOT a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), but listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) a.k.a. Continuity Army Council

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1994.

GOALS: The reunification of Ireland and to forcing British troops from Northern Ireland.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: Fewer than 50 hard-core activists.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Northern Ireland, Irish Republic.

AFFILIATIONS: Suspected of receiving funds and arms from sympathizers in the United States. May have acquired arms and materiel from the Balkans in cooperation with the Real IRA.

COMMENTS: A radical terrorist splinter group formed as the clandestine armed wing of the political organization Republican Sinn Fein (RSF). RSF formed after the Irish Republican Army announced a cease-fire in September 1994. Targets include British military and Northern Ireland security targets and Northern Ireland Loyalist paramilitary groups. Also has launched bomb attacks against civilian targets in Northern Ireland. Does not have an established presence or capability to launch attacks on the U.K. mainland. NOT a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), but listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: Hezbollah (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

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: Unknown.

GOALS: Increasing its political power in Lebanon, and opposing Israel and the Middle East peace negotiations.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: Known or suspected to have been involved in numerous anti-U.S. terrorist attacks, including the suicide truck bombing of the U.S. embassy and U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in October 1983, and the U.S. embassy annex in Beirut in September 1984.

STRENGTH: Several thousand supporters and a few hundred terrorist operatives.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: 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.

AFFILIATIONS: Receives substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from Iran and Syria.

COMMENTS: A radical Shia organization founded in Lebanon. A Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: ‘Asbat al-Ansar (The Partisans’ League)

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: Early 1990s.

GOALS: Overthrow the Lebanese government and thwart anti-Islamic influences in Lebanon.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: About 300 fighters.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Primary base of operations is the ‘Ayn al-Hilwah Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

AFFILIATIONS: Overseas Sunni extremist networks and Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda.

COMMENTS: A Lebanon-based group composed mainly of Palestinians, Asbat al-Ansar adheres to an extremist interpretation of Islam and justifies the use of violence against civilian targets. The group raised its profile in 2000 with a rocket-propelled grenade attack on the Russian Embassy in Beirut. It was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on March 27, 2002.

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: Around 1970.

GOALS: To overthrow the Japanese government and monarchy and to help foment world revolution.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: In 1972 the JRA attempted a takeover of the U.S. 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, a suspected JRA operation that killed five, including a U.S. servicewoman.

STRENGTH: About six hard-core members; undetermined number of sympathizers.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: The JRA has carried out a series of attacks around the world. Location unknown, but possibly traveling in Asia or Syrian-controlled areas of Lebanon.

AFFILIATIONS: Unknown. Has history of close relations with Palestinian terrorist groups based and operating outside Japan. 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.

COMMENTS: The JRA is a break away from the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction. A Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2000, it was removed from the FTO list on October 5, 2001.

NAME: Chukaku-Ha (Nucleus or Middle Core Faction)

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1957.

GOALS: Protest Japan's imperial system, Western imperialism, and events such as the Gulf War and the expansion of Tokyo's Narita Airport.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: 3,500.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Japan.

AFFILIATIONS: None.

COMMENTS: Largest domestic militant group; has small covert action wing called Kansai Revolutionary Army.

NAME: Aum Supreme Truth (Aum) a.k.a. Aum Shinrikyo, Aleph

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1987.

GOALS: To take over Japan and then the world.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: The Aum's current membership is estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 persons. At the time of the 1995 Tokyo subway attack, the group claimed to have 9,000 members in Japan and up to 40,000 worldwide.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: The Aum's principal membership is located only in Japan, but a residual branch comprising an unknown number of followers has surfaced in Russia.

AFFILIATIONS: None.

COMMENTS: A cult established by Shoko Asahara, the Aum is responsible for the March 20, 1995 sarin nerve gas attacks on several Tokyo subway trains that killed 12 persons and injured up to 6,000. In 2000, Fumihiro Joyu took control of the Aum following his three-year jail sentence for perjury. Joyu was previously the group's spokesman and Russia Branch leader. Under Joyu's leadership the Aum changed its name to Aleph and claims to have rejected the violent and apocalyptic teachings of its founde r. A Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: Kach and Kahane Chai

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: Both organizations were declared to be terrorist organizations in March 1994 by the Israeli Cabinet under the 1948 Terrorism Law.

GOALS: Stated goal is to restore the biblical state of Israel.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: Unknown.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Israel and West Bank settlements, particularly Qiryat Arba' in Hebron.

AFFILIATIONS: Receives support from sympathizers in the United States and Europe.

COMMENTS: Kach was founded by radical Israeli-American rabbi Meir Kahane, while its offshoot Kahane Chai,(which means "Kahane Lives") was founded by Meir Kahane's son Binyamin following his father's assassination in the United States. They have threatened to attack Arabs, Palestinians, and Israeli government officials. A Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: Broke away from the PFLP-GC in mid-1970s.

GOALS: Creation of a Palestinian state.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: The Abu Abbas-led faction was responsible for the attack in 1985 on the cruise ship Achille Lauro and the murder of U.S. citizen Leon Klinghoffer.

STRENGTH: Unknown.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Based in Tunisia until Achille Lauro attack, it is now based in Iraq.

AFFILIATIONS: Receives support mainly from Iraq. Has received support from Libya in the past.

COMMENTS: After its initial break with the PFLP-GC, split again into pro-PLO, pro-Syrian, and pro-Libyan factions. Pro-PLO faction is led by Muhammad Abbas (Abu Abbas), who became member of PLO Executive Committee in 1984 but left it in 1991. A warrant for Abu Abbas's arrest is outstanding in Italy. A Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: Revolutionary People's Struggle (ELA)

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1971.

GOALS: To oppose "imperialist domination, exploitation, and oppression."

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: Since 1974, has conducted bombings against Greek government and economic targets, as well as U.S. military and business facilities.

STRENGTH: Unknown.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Greece.

AFFILIATIONS: Received weapons and other assistance from international terrorist Carlos during 1980s. Currently no known foreign sponsors. Greek police believe they have established links between ELA and Revolutionary Organization 17 November.

COMMENTS: An extreme leftist group, the ELA is self-described as revolutionary, anti-capitalist, and anti-imperialist. Strongly anti-U.S., and seeks the removal of U.S. military forces from Greece. A Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: 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).

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1960s.

GOALS: The MEK continues to conduct a worldwide campaign against the Iranian government, which stresses propaganda and occasionally uses terrorist violence.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: During the 1970s, the MEK staged terrorist attacks inside Iran and killed several U.S. military personnel and civilians working on defense projects in Tehran. Supported the takeover in 1979 of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

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).

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: 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.

AFFILIATIONS: Beyond support from Iraq, the MEK uses front organizations to solicit contributions from expatriate Iranian communities.

COMMENTS: Formed 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, the MEK 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. A Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: Abu Nidal organization (ANO) a.k.a. Fatah Revolutionary Council, Arab Revolutionary Brigades, Black September, and Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims.

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: Split from the PLO in 1974.

GOALS: Establishment of a Palestinian State.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: Targets include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Israel, moderate Palestinians, the PLO, and various Arab countries. Has not attacked Western targets since the late 1980s.

STRENGTH: A few hundred plus limited overseas support structure.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Its leader, Sabri Al-Banna, relocated to Iraq in December 1998, where the group maintains a presence. Has an operational presence in Lebanon, including in several Palestinian refugee camps. 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. Has carried out terrorist attacks in 20 countries, killing or injuring almost 900 persons.

AFFILIATIONS: Has received considerable support, including safe haven, training, logistic assistance, and financial aid from Iraq, Libya, and Syria (until 1987), in addition to close support for selected operations.

COMMENTS: Financial problems and internal disorganization have reduced the group's activities and capabilities. A Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: Al-Ummah

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1992.

GOALS: Unknown.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: Unknown.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Southern India.

AFFILIATIONS: Unknown.

COMMENTS: Radical Indian Muslim group believed responsible for the Coimbatore bombings in Southern India in 1998.

NAME: Morzanist Patriotic Front (FPM)

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: Late 1980s

GOALS: Protest U.S. intervention in Honduran economic and political affairs.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: Mainly operates attacks on U.S. military personnel in Honduras. Bus bombing in 1990 wounded seven U.S. servicemen, and one in 1989 wounded three servicemen. Attacked U.S. convoy in 1989. Grenade attack in La Ceiba in 1989 wounded seven U.S. soldiers. Claimed bombing of Peace Corps office in 1988.

STRENGTH: Unknown, probably relatively small.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Honduras

AFFILIATIONS: Had ties to former government of Nicaragua and possibly Cuba.

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1975.

GOALS: A radical leftist group, 17 November is described as Anti-Greek establishment, anti-United States, anti-Turkey, anti-NATO, and committed to the ouster of U.S. bases, removal of Turkish military presence from Cyprus, and severing of Greece's ties to NATO and the European Union (EU).

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: Initial attacks were assassinations of senior U.S. officials and Greek public figures.

STRENGTH: Unknown, but presumed to be small.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Athens, Greece.

AFFILIATIONS: Unknown.

COMMENTS: 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. Most recent attack claimed was the murder in June 2000 of British Defense Attaché Stephen Saunders. A Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listed as "active" during 2000.

NAME: Revolutionary Nuclei (RN) a.k.a. Revolutionary Cells

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1995.

GOALS: Believed to be the successor group to the Revolutionary People’s Struggle (ELA), RN is a leftist group with an anti-establishment, anti-U.S., anti-NATO and anti-EU agenda. The ELA, which sought to oppose “imperialist domination, exploitation, and oppression,” has not been active since 1995.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: In November 2000, RN bombed the Citigroup offices in Athens and the studio of a Greek/American sculptor. In December 1999, the group detonated explosives outside the Athens offices of Texaco.

STRENGTH: Unknown.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Mainly the Athens metropolitan area in Greece.

AFFILIATIONS: Unknown.

COMMENTS: RN was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on March 27, 2002.

NAME: Revolutionary Nuclei (RN) a.k.a. Revolutionary Cells

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1995.

GOALS: Believed to be the successor group to the Revolutionary People’s Struggle (ELA), RN is a leftist group with an anti-establishment, anti-U.S., anti-NATO and anti-EU agenda. The ELA, which sought to oppose “imperialist domination, exploitation, and oppression,” has not been active since 1995.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: In November 2000, RN bombed the Citigroup offices in Athens and the studio of a Greek/American sculptor. In December 1999, the group detonated explosives outside the Athens offices of Texaco.

STRENGTH: Unknown.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Mainly the Athens metropolitan area in Greece.

AFFILIATIONS: Unknown.

COMMENTS: RN was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on March 27, 2002.

NAME: Zviadists

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1991.

GOALS: Extremist supporters of deceased former Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Overthrow Gamsakhurdia's successor Eduard Shevardnadze's rule.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: None.

STRENGTH: Unknown.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Georgia, especially Mingrelia and Russia.

AFFILIATIONS: Unknown.

COMMENTS: Some now operate anti-Shevardnadze activities from Russia.

NAME: Al-Jihad a.k.a. Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Jihad Group, Islamic Jihad

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: Late 1970s.

GOALS: Overthrow the Egyptian government and replace it with an Islamic state; attack U.S. and Israeli interests in Egypt and abroad.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: Car-bombing against official U.S. facilities.

STRENGTH: Unknown, suspected to be several hundred.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Mainly Cairo, but has a network outside Egypt, including Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom.

AFFILIATIONS: Close partner of Osama Bin Laden's al Qaeda; Iran. May get some funds via various Islamic non-governmental organizations, cover businesses, and criminal acts.

COMMENTS: The original Jihad was responsible for the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

NAME: United Self-Defense Forces/Group of Colombia (AUC-Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia)

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1997.

GOALS: Claims its primary objective is to protect its sponsors from insurgents.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: The paramilitaries have not taken action against U.S. personnel.

STRENGTH: In early 2001, the government estimated there were 8,000 paramilitary fighters, including former military and insurgent personnel.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: AUC forces are strongest in the north and northwest: Antioquia, Cordoba, Sucre, Bolivar, Atlantico, and Magdalena Departments of Colombia.

AFFILIATIONS: None outside Colombia. The AUC is supported by economic elites, drug traffickers, and local communities lacking effective government security.

COMMENTS: The AUC — commonly referred to as autodefensas or paramilitaries — is an umbrella organization formed in April 1997 to consolidate most local and regional paramilitary groups each with the mission to protect economic interests and combat insurgents locally. Listed as "active" during 2000, it was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on October 5, 2001.

NAME: National Liberation Army (ELN)—Colombia

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: 1965.

GOALS: Replacing the current government with a Marxist regime.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: Conducted a campaign of mass kidnappings during the late 1990s, each of which involved at least one U.S. citizen.

STRENGTH: Approximately 3,000 to 6,000 armed combatants and an unknown number of active supporters.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Rural and mountainous areas of north, northeast, and southwest Colombia and Venezuela border regions.

AFFILIATIONS: Cuba provides some medical care and political consultation.

COMMENTS: Marxist insurgent group formed by urban intellectuals inspired by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. A Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listed as "active" during 2000.

DATE STARTED/FIRST ACTIVE: Established by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s.

GOALS: Establish a pan-Islamic Caliphate throughout the world by working with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes it deems "non-Islamic," and expelling Westerners and non-Muslims from Muslim countries.

MAIN ANTI-U.S. ACTIVITIES TO DATE: Is suspected of involvement in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen. Conducted the bombings in August 1998 of the U.S. 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 U.S. helicopters and killed U.S. servicemen in Somalia in 1993, and to have conducted three bombings that targeted U.S. troops in Aden, Yemen, in December 1992.

STRENGTH: May have several hundred to several thousand members.

OPERATIONAL LOCATIONS: Al Qaeda has a worldwide reach with cells in a number of countries, and benefits from its ties to Sunni extremist networks. Bin Laden and his top associates reside in Afghanistan, and the group maintains terrorist training camps there.

AFFILIATIONS: Serves as the umbrella organization for a worldwide network that includes many Sunni Islamic extremist groups, such as Egyptian Islamic Jihad, some members of al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and the Harakat ul-Mujahidin.

COMMENTS: Bin Laden is the son of a wealthy Saudi family, and uses his inheritance to finance the group. Al Qaeda also operates moneymaking front organizations, solicits donations, and illicitly siphons funds from donations to Muslim charitable organizations.