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Classification of Terrorism

Terrorism can be classified into the following categories:

1. Ideological

Non Parliamentary & Non democratic

a. Lt Wing

Left Wing Terrorism – (Communism /Socialism)
Largely in Europe, Asia (Russia, China & Middle east). They wanted Communism under the superpower USSR. Were influenced by Marx, Lenin & Mao. Left wing terrorism prevailed after WW-II from 1945 to 1980 and tapered until the breakdown of USSR in 1991.

  • Germany – RAF Red Army faction – Leader – Baader Meinhoff – Marx inspired
  • Italy – Red Brigades Chechnya – (Russia Islamic)
  • Russia – (1917) – BO Lenin inspired
  • Cuba – Castro Fidel
  • Argentina – ERP (Peoples Revolutionary Army )
  • Peru – 1992 The Shining Path – Mao inspired
  • China – Communism – Mao inspired

b. Rt Wing

Right Wing Terrorism (Violent Extremism)
Any Terrorism which does not fit into Left Wing is Right Wing! made up of disgruntled unemployed frustrated youth, posing no serious threat to the government. Small time crimes, no deadly weapons. Right Wing came in the limelight only when Left Wing petered out.

Developed as a reaction to Left Wing Terrorism, as violence on the streets. (1990-1995). Wanted Communism (socialism), but independence from USSR, in fact wanted to expel all ruling foreign powers, were religious believers in God & racial.

The following fall into this category:

  • Germany – Neo Nazis, patriotism sprang from shame following Germany’s defeat in WW – I
  • Italy / Austria – Neo Fascists Austria (some parts of neighbouring Italy) – Neo Fascists
  • USA, again these stemmed as a reaction to Communist Lt Wg.
    • Before 1985 – White supremacy movement – anti black Ku Klux Klan KKK – 1920-1945 – anti slave/black
    • 1985-1995 – Christain Identity movement – anti jew Neo Nazis (The Aryan Nation & The Order)-whites are true Israelites to rule the world – anti jew,
    • After 1995 – Jews are sons of Satan
      • Creatorists – pro Christian – anti jews & anti all other races
      • Militias – Col James Gritz, a green beret, formed 600 tiny cells – anti UN, believed that the Govt was against elementary rights of US citizens.
      • Patriots ( paranoid conspiracies ) – anti US govt (which is pro jew, according to them) paranoid delusions about conspiracies by US govt recruiting foreign soldiers like Gorkhas, etc.

c. Others

2. Religious Nationalistic/ Ethnic (Racial/ Fundamentalists)

The following fall into this category-

India

  • Hindu v/s Muslims in J&K / Sikh
  • LET – Lashkar-E-Toiba (Leader Mohamad Latif)
  • HUM – Harakat Ul Mujahideen (Leader Shaahbaz Khan)
  • JKHM – i.e Hizbul Muujahideen (Leader Salah Ud Din)
  • JKLF – J & K Liberation Front- 2 Groups with 2 Leaders – Yaseen Malik & Shabbir Siddiqui
  • DIM – Dukhtaran-E-Millat – womens organization

N Ireland (UK) – IRA (originally Sinn Fein) – Catholics of N Ireland v/s Protestants of S.Ireland, wants a separate United Ireland, anti British Govt rule in N Ireland – leader Michael Collins, later was killed by his partner Eamon DeValera, who became PM.

Spain – Basque separatist – ETA (basque Nation & Liberty) – want a Basque nation separate from France & Spain, fight Spaniards.

Middle East – Muslims – PLO ( Al Fatah ) – Leader Yaseer Arafat in Jordan, also called Black September, anti Israeli Jews

  • PLO became Hamas after Arafat
  • ANO – Abu Nidal Org (Black June) in Libya, breakaway group of PLO
  • Other Islamic Fundamentalists – remove Israel & purify state
  • Iran – Hizbollah Hasan Nasralla (Leader)
  • Lebanon – Islamic Jihad, Leader Dr Fathi Shekaki
  • Israel – Hamas Leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin
  • Egypt – Muslim Brotherhood
  • Pakistan – HUM – Harakat Ul Mujahideen (Leader Shahbaz Khan)
  • JKHM – i.e Hizbul Mujahideen (Leader) – Salah Ud Din
  • Saudi Arabia – Al Qaida – (Leader) Abdullah Azam who was killed by Osama Bin Laden
  • Israel – JDL – Jewish Defence League – anti arabs, Militant
  • Jews – want to expand Israel
  • Algeria – GIA ‘Armed Islamic Group’ (Islamic) wants to overthrow secular govt.
  • Saudi – Osama Bin Laden & Al Qaida against US USA – covered Lebanon – Shiite Rebels against Sunni muslims
  • Afghanistan – Taliban v/s Other groups fighting for rule
  • LTTE – covered further
  • PKK – covered further
  • Balkan Peninsula – Serb fascists in Kosovo (in Serbia, now Yugoslavia), drove out Muslims into nearby Muslim Albania, 1999

3. Nationalistic Separatist – Democratic

The following fall into this category:

  • LTTE – Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, 20 % tamils want separate Tamil State from 80 % Sinhalese population – Leader – Velupillai Prabhakaran
  • PKK – Kurdistans Workers Party – in Turkey, Kurds wanting separate Kurdistan – murders entire villages, Abdullah Ocalan
  • ETA – covered
  • IRA – covered

4. Exotic

(Unusual type/unusual civilization/ unusual parts of the world) The following fall into this category:

Peru –
1992 The Shining Path: Maoistic. In 15 years, they killed 2500 soldiers, 20,000 civilians & 20 billion $ worth Sabotage
1980–97 – MRTA (Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement)
1997 attacked Jap Embassy & took hostages, all were killed

Colombia – FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces Of Columbia)
1990-1998 – drug cartels, kidnappings 1966
EZN (National Liberation Army)

Sri Lanka – LTTE – covered

Uganda – LRA (Lords Resistance Army)-Alice Lakvena, destroyed villages to form a regime based on the 10 commandments in 1980. WNBF – (West Nile Bank Front) similar

USA

Ecoterrorism

(A type of exotic Terrorism)

  • 1980-1990 – ‘Greens’ Earth First ecofeminists, destroyed bridges, power transformers, logging equipment, helicopters spraying pesticides destroyed.
  • 1980 – 1989    Monkey Wrenching (tree spiking) – David Foreman, writer of such books was the leader
  • 1978 – Unabomber – Theodore Kaczinski, Letter bombs sent to scientists & businessmen dealing with anti environmental issues.
  • 1979-1995 ALF – Animal Liberation Front – (UK & USA) – 80 episodes per month, butchers, restaurants, vets, 200 medical research labs, Firebombs on research institutes in Washington, Michigan, Oregaon.

5. State sponsored

Warfare by proxy. The following countries sponsor terrorist acts in other countries. The following fall into this category:

Soviet (sponsor) to –

  • Carlos
  • RAF Germany
  • ETA Spain
  • Italian Red Brigades

Khadafi ( Libya ) to
Arabs
Africa
IRA
RAF
Carlos – A PLO enlistee
ANO

Iran – (anti Western to weaken pro-western Kuwait, Saudi Arabia & Bahrain) to – Islamic Terrorism Against Iraq & Lebanon
And against the Left wing since it is anti Islamic
(Ayotallah Khomeni came to power in1979)

Iraq to
ANO
Kurdistans Workers Party

Syria – Anti Israel, Anti Jordan, Anti Iraq, Anti Turkey to -
ANO
Kurd

Sudan to -
Iran
Libya
Osama, all Middle east Terror Training Camps
**Sudan sold Carlos The Jackal, the world famous Terrorist to France for 1 Million $!

Cuba to -
Supports Latin American Terrorism

North Korea – anti South Korean
West Europe – with Middle East terrorists
Pakistan – Anti Indian terrorism and in Jammu & Kashmir