Meghna Das

Tushar Bhasin

INSURGENT GROUPS AND TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

IN AFGHANISTAN

Aliases : TalebanBases of Operation : Afghanistan, Pakistan

Formed : 1994 by Akhtar Abdur Rahman, Sami ul Haq, and Fazal-ur-Rehman

Classification : Religious (Islamist)

1. TALIBAN

Allies : Haqqani network, Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin,

Islamic Emirate of Waziristan, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, Islamic, Movement of Uzbekistan, East Turkestan Islamic Movement, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e, Shariat-e-Mohammadi, Jamaat-e-Islami and Caucasian Front

Financial Sources : Formerly, the Taliban funded itself though the

revenue of poppy (ingredient in opium) and support from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)

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The Taliban imposes a strict interpretation of Islamic law throughout Afghanistan.

The group's goal was to establish the most pure Islamic state in the world.

One byproduct of this was the restriction on women to either work or go to school.

The Taliban also enforced amputations and public executions for violating Islamic law.

The Taliban curtailed the flow of information by banning the Internet, television, and radio.

The group forced Hindus and other religious minorities to wear symbols that identified them as non-Muslims and forced Hindus to wear veils as all Muslim women were required

Philosophy

The Taliban era can be divided into three broad parts:

1. 1994-1996: Militia

2. 1996-2001: Taliban Government

3. 2001-present: Insurgency

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FormationDuring the Soviet troop withdrawal from

Afghanistan in 1989, the country was torn apart by warring mujahideen groups and the ISI of Pakistan grasped the chance to wield power in the region by fostering a previously unknown Kandahari student movement.

Since the creation of the Taliban, the ISI and the Pakistani military have given financial, logistical and military support.

Taliban initially enjoyed enormous good will from Afghans weary of the corruption, brutality, and the incessant fighting of Mujahideenwarlords.

1994-1996 : Militia

Outbreak of WarSaudi Arabia and Iran – as competitors for

regional hegemony – supported Afghan militias hostile towards each other. While Iran assisted the Shia Hazara Hezb-i Wahdat forces of Abdul Ali Mazari, Saudi Arabia supported the Wahhabite Abdul Rasul Sayyaf and his Ittihad-islami faction. Conflict between the two militias soon escalated into a full-scale war.

Due to the sudden initiation of the war, working government departments, police units or a system of justice and accountability for the newly created Islamic State of Afghanistan did not have time to form.

1994-1996 : Militia

Result of WarBy 1994 end, the Taliban took control of twelve of

Afghanistan's 34 provinces.In a bid to establish their rule over Afghanistan, the

Taliban started shelling the capital in early 1995 but suffered a devastating defeat against government forces of the Islamic State under the command of Ahmad Shah Massoud. However, Pakistan intensified its military support to the Taliban and with Pakistan’s military and Saudi Arabia’s financial support, Taliban prepared for another major offensive in 1995.

Massoud ordered a full retreat from Kabul to continue anti-Taliban resistance in the Hindu Kush Mountains instead of engaging in street battles in Kabul. The Taliban entered Kabul on September 27, 1996, and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

1994-1996 : Militia

The Islamic State of Afghanistan government remained the internationally recognized government of Afghanistan.

The Taliban's Emirate received recognition only from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

While in power, it enforced its strict interpretation of Sharia law, and leading Muslims have been highly critical of the Taliban's interpretations of Islamic law. 

The Taliban were condemned internationally for their brutal treatment of women.

Under the Taliban, al-Qaeda was able to use Afghanistan as a place to train and indoctrinate fighters, import weapons, coordinate with other jihadists, and plot terrorist actions. 

The ISI used the Taliban to establish a regime in Afghanistan which would be favorable to Pakistan, as they were trying to gain strategic depth.

1996 – 2001 : Taliban Government

The defense minister of the Islamic State of Afghanistan,Ahmad Shah Massoud, in opposition to the Taliban created the United Front. Massoud fought for a republic and national consolidation to achieve a lasting peace in Afghanistan

U.S. policy towards Afghanistan changed after the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings. Subsequently, Osama Bin Laden was indicted for his involvement in the embassy bombings and in 1999 both the U.S. and the United Nations enacted sanctions against the Taliban via United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267.

On September 9, 2001, two Arab suicide attackersdetonated a bomb hidden in a video camera while interviewing Ahmed Shah Massoud, killing him.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Massoud's United Front troops and United Front troops of Abdul Rashid Dostum ousted the Taliban from power in Kabul with American air support in Operation Enduring Freedom.

From October to December 2001, the United Front gained control of much of the country and played a crucial role in establishing the post-Taliban interim government under Hamid Karzai.

Ousting of Taliban Government

After the Taliban fled Kabul in November 2001 and left their stronghold, the southern city of Kandahar, in December 2001, it was generally understood that by then major al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders had fled across the border into Pakistan.

An interim Afghan government was established in Kabul under Hamid Karzai.

the United Nations authorized an international force – the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) – with a mandate to help the Afghans maintain security in Kabul and surrounding areas.

On 11 August 2003, NATO assumed political command and coordination of ISAF.

Meanwhile, the Taliban and al-Qaeda began reconstituting some militia forces in support of the anti-U.S. fighters.

2001-present

After evading U.S. forces throughout the summer of 2002, the remnants of the Taliban gradually began to regain their confidence and launched the insurgency that Mullah Mohammed Omar had promised during the Taliban's last days in power.

The Afghan Taliban's main goal is a full withdrawal

of foreign forces from Afghanistan and the fall of the Afghan central government under Hamid Karzai.  The main Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, belongs to the Quetta Shura believed to be based in neighbouring Pakistan.

Re-emergence of Taliban as an Insurgent Group

Since the start of 2006 Afghanistan has been facing a wave of attacks by improvised explosives and suicide bombers, particularly after NATO took command of the fight against insurgents in spring 2006.

In 2007 Afghanistan saw 140 more suicide bombings – more than in the past five years combined – that killed more than 300 people, many civilians.

It has also been reported that the Taliban now control up to 54% of Afghanistan.

According to the United Nations, the Taliban were responsible for 76% of civilian casualties in Afghanistan in 2009, 75% in 2010 and 80% in 2011.

Recent Attacks/Activities

Aliases : Al Qaida, Qa‘idat al-Jihad, The Base

Bases of Operation: Worldwide; Most importantly Afghanistan and Pakistan

Formed: 1988-89 by Osama Bin Laden

Classification: Religious (Islamist)Strength: 50,000 members (approx.)

2. AL-QAEDA

- Bin Laden’s personal fortune, investments and business partnerships

- Charities from terrorist organizations all over the world

Financial Sources

Principle – Radical Sunni Muslim organization calling for global

Jihad and a strict interpretation of Sharia Law.

Basic Philosophy - ‘defensive jihad’: Each Muslim is encouraged to fight what they perceive

as attacks on Muslims across the world.

Aim – to overthrow 'un-Islamic regimes' that they believe

oppress their Muslim citizens and replace them with genuine Islamic governments,

to expel US soldiers and Western influences from the holy territories of the Gulf and Iraq, and

to capture Jerusalem as a Muslim city. 

About the Organization

Al-Qaeda allies with and supports terrorist groups throughout the world that further these goals.

These include – groups fighting Muslim governments with allegedly apostate rulers (Egypt,

Algeria, post-2002 Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia), groups fighting regimes perceived to oppress their Muslim citizens (Kosovo,

India, Russia and Indonesia), and groups fighting to establish their own Islamic state (Palestine, Chechnya,

Dagestan and Mindanao). 

Al-Qaeda supports these groups in two ways: by training group members in its camps and by sending its own members to help these groups in their struggles around the

world.

Throughout the 90s, al-Qaeda provided its affiliated groups with financing and training primarily through its bases in Sudan and Afghanistan.

ALLIES WITH OTHER GROUPS

Bin Laden's and al-Qaeda's hatred of the United States fits into the strategy of defensive jihad.

Support for al-Qaeda throughout the Muslim world has been garnered by the portrayal of the United States as a direct threat to and enemy of Islam.

Under this view, the United States is engaged in attacks on Muslims through its stationing of troops in holy Muslim territories of the Gulf and Iraq, its support of Israel, India, Russia and the Philippines, and its invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Al-Qaeda against the US

September 11, 2001, attacks The most destructive act ascribed to al-Qaeda

was the series of attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001. These attacks destroyed the World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon and crashed another plane in a series of suicide hijacking of airplanes. Osama bin Laden did take credit for the attacks days before the 2004 Presidential Election. 2,996 died the day of the attacks.

Recent Activities

October 2002 Bali bombingsThe 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October

2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on theIndonesian island of Bali. The attack was the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia, killing 202 people

November 2003 Istanbul attacksThe 2003 Istanbul bombings were four truck bomb

attacks carried out on November 15, 2003 and November 20, 2003, in Istanbul, Turkey, leaving 67 people dead, and 700 wounded. Several men have been convicted for their involvement.

Recent Activities

July 7, 2005 London transport bombingsFour members of Al-Qaeda, three of British

Pakistani descent and one of British Jamaican descent attacked London's public transport on July 7, 2005. Three bombs were detonated on the London Underground and one on a double decker bus. The attacks took place between 8.50 am and 9.47 am. 56 people died during the attacks (including 4 terrorists) and around 700 were injured.

Recent Activities

June 2, 2008 Danish-embassy bombingAl-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the bombing

of the Danish embassy in Pakistan on June 2, 2008. A car bomb killed six people and injured several

September 20, 2008 Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

Al-Qaeda is believed to have been responsible for the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Pakistanon September 20, 2008. A truck bomb killed 54 people and injured 266 people.

Recent Activities

The largest groups of al-Qaeda operatives remain in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001 and 2002 ended the Taliban's rule in Kabul and official Afghani government support for al-Qaeda, as well as destroying a large portion of its training camp infrastructure, the group remains a dangerous force and imminent threat to stability within Afghanistan. 

CURRENT STATUS/GOALS

Osama Bin Laden

Osama bin Laden was the criminal mastermind behind Al-Qaida and the world's most sought-after terrorist since the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Libya. He has released videos praising terrorist threats. Almost 10 years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, on a late May 1, 2011 evening, US President Barack Obama made an announcement that bin Laden was killed by US operatives.

Notable Figures

He was allegedly involved in the suicide bombings of the USS Cole in Yemen, which killed 17 US sailors (October 12, 2000).

His personal fortune is estimated at over $300 million dollars. It was inherited by his family's construction business in Saudi Arabia.

Never claimed responsibility for the September 11th attacks, but praised them instead.

The U.S. State Department has offered a reward of up to $25,000,000 for information that leads directly to his capture. On July 14, 2007 that reward was increased to $50,000,00.00. An additional $2 million has been offered through a program developed and funded by the Airline Pilots Association and the Air Transport Association.

President Barack Obama announced that, acting on intelligence gathered by the CIA, a Navy Seals unit killed Bin Laden and two other men at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. After DNA tests confirmed Bin Laden's identity, he was buried at sea.

Osama bin Laden – Contd.

Ayman al-ZawahiriAyman al-Zawahiri was brought to international attention due to the 1998 US Embassy bombings. He has said to be the "real brains" of al-Qaeda by Osama bin Laden. He was the second and last "emir" as well as an egyptian islamic theologian and terrorist. His successor was Osama bin Laden. However after bin Laden's death recently al Zawahiri has become the head of al-Qaeda on May 2, 2011. Al-Zawahiri merged al-Jihad of Egypt and al-Qaeda together to make one powerful terrorist organization.

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Anwar al-AwlakiAnwar al-Awlaki is an islamic lecturer inspiring terrorists against the West ways of life. His popular youtube channel has gotten him a bigger audience and he has been described as the "bin Laden of the Internet". Al-Awlaki is the planner and trainer for al-Qaeda and all franchises. It has been proven that al-Awlaki has been in contact with multiple bombers and shooters and has praised them for their work after their attacks. The US government has named him the number one target for terrorism.

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Aliases : Army of the Pure, Army of the Righteous, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT), Lashkar-e-Toiba

Bases of Operation: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan

Formed:  founded in 1990 by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Abdullah Yusuf Azzam and Zafar Iqbal in Afghanistan.

Classification: Religious (Islamist)Strength: About 300

3. Lashkar e Taiba

the primary area of operations of LeT's militant activities is the Kashmir valley, and other parts of India.

 the group defined its agenda as the restoration of Islamic rule over all parts of India and declared India, Israel and the United States as existential enemies of Islam.

 The LeT believes that violent jihad is the duty of all Muslims and must be waged until eight objectives are met: ending persecution against Muslims, establishing Islam as the dominant way of life in the world, forcing infidels to pay jizya, fighting for the weak and feeble against oppressors, exacting revenge for killed Muslims, punishing enemies for violating oaths and treaties, defending all Muslim states, and recapturing occupied Muslim territory.

Founding Philosophy

The Lashkar-e-Taiba was created to participate in the Mujahideen conflict against the Najibullah regime in Afghanistan.

In the process, the outfit developed deep linkages with Afghanistan and has several Afghan nationals in its cadre.

The outfit had also cultivated links with the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan and also with Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network.

Even while refraining from openly displaying these links, the LeT office in Muridke was reportedly used as a transit camp for third country recruits heading for Afghanistan.

Guantanamo detainee Khalid Bin Abdullah Mishal Thamer Al Hameydani's Combatant Status Review Tribunal said that he had received training via Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The Combatant Status Review Tribunals of Taj Mohammed and Rafiq Bin Bashir Bin Jalud Al Hami, and the Administrative Review Board hearing of Abdullah Mujahid and Zia Ul Shah allege that they too were members or former members of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Role in Afghanistan

Bases of Operation: Afghanistan (Kabul, Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan Provinces)

Formed: Around 2007Suspected as a faction of Taliban by the Afghan Intelligence Officials

Taliban spokesmen have denied any relationship to the Front and have furthermore suggested that the group is a creation of the Afghan intelligence agency itself.

4. Mullah Dadullah front

Mullah Dadullah

Mullah Dadullah Akhund was a Taliban military commander killed in 2007.

Dadullah had joined the Taliban in 1994 but was held in disfavor by some in that organization for his brutality during the Afghan civil war.

Following the American-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 Dadullah led Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan. U.S. Military officials stated that Dadullah made use of suicide bombings in the Taliban's fight against American, NATO and Afghan government forces, and embraced the radical ideology of al-Qaeda rejected by many other Taliban leaders.

Dadullah was killed by British special forces in 2007; the Dadullah Front, apparently named in his memory, now operates with near or total independent from, and hostility even towards other Taliban forces.

Founding Philosophy

The Dadullah Front claimed responsibility for the assassination of Afghan High Peace Minister Burhanuddin Rabbani by a suicide bomber on 20 September 2011.

The Dadullah Front also claimed responsibility for 14 May 2012 assassination of the succeeding peace minister Mullah Arsala Rahmani, who was shot in traffic within Kabul.

Recent Activities

Aliases : Haqqani NetworkBases of Operation: Afghanistan, Pakistan

Formed: 1994Classification: Religious (Islamist)Strength: 4000-15000Allies: TalibanLeaders: Jalaludin Haqqani, Sirajuddin Haqqani

5. Jalaludin Haqqani Network

Jalaludin Haqqani

Some of Sirajuddin's brothers travel to the Persian Gulf region to raise funds from wealthy donors.

The New York Times reported in September 2011 that the Haqqanis have set up a "ministate" in Miranshah with courts, tax offices and madrassas, and that the network runs a series of front companies selling automobiles and real estate.

They also receive funds from extortion, kidnappings and smuggling operations throughout eastern Afghanistan.

Financial Sources

An Islamist insurgent group using asymmetric warfare to fight against US-led NATO forces and the government of Afghanistan. 

Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin Haqqani lead the group, which operates on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border; but U.S. officials believe it is based in Pakistan's Waziristan tribal frontier.

Founding Philosophy

14 January 2008: 2008 Kabul Serena Hotel attack is thought to have been carried out by the network.

March, 2008: Kidnapping of British journalist Sean Langan was blamed on the network.

27 April 2008: Assassination attempts on Hamid Karzai. 7 July 2008: US intelligence blamed the network for 2008 Indian embassy

bombing in Kabul. 10 November 2008: The Kidnapping of David Rohde was blamed on

Sirajuddin Haqqani. 30 December 2009: Camp Chapman attack is thought[by whom?] to have been

carried out by the network 18 May 2010: May 2010 Kabul bombing was allegedly carried out by the

network. 19 February 2011: Kabul Bank in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. 10 September 2011: A massive truck bomb exploded outside Combat

Outpost Sayed Abad in Wardak province, Afghanistan, killing five Afghans, including four civilians, and wounding 77 U.S. soldiers, 14 Afghan civilians, and three policemen. The Pentagon blamed the network for the attack.

October 2011: Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security said that six people arrested in an alleged plot to assassinate President Karzai had ties to the Haqqani network.

Recent Activities

Bases of Operation : Afghanistan, Pakistan

Formed : 1977Strength : Approximately 400 members

Classifications : ReligiousFinancial Sources : Funded by the United States during the Afghan-Soviet War, current source of funding unknown

6. Hezb-e-Gullbudin

The Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin is an Afghan islamist political party.

Has come in the picture again claiming responsibility for many bloody attacks against Coalition forces and the administration of President Hamid Karzai.

HIG was expelled from Kabul by the Taliban in September 1996 and many of its local commanders joined the Taliban. 

HIG took credit for a 2008 attack on a military parade that nearly killed Karzai, an August 2008 ambush near Kabul that left ten French soldiers dead, and an October 3, 2009 attack by 150 insurgents which overwhelmed a remote outpost in Nuristan Province, killing eight American soldiers and wounding 24.

Goals and Activities

There have been reports of clashes between members of the HIG and Taliban, and defection of HIG members to the Afghan government. In early March 2010 elements of the Taliban and the HIG were reportedly fighting in Baghlan province.

In August 2010, Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin was possibly responsible for the 2010 Badakhshan massacre.

In 2012,Karzai said he personally held peace talks recently with the insurgent faction Hezb-i-Islami, appearing to assert his own role in a U.S.-led bid for negotiations to end the country's decade-long war.

Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin is also said to have connections to North Korea and Iran.

Current Status

Aliases : Freedom Party of Afghanistan

Bases of Operation : AfghanistanFormed : Malik's militia was formed in 1997. The group as a political party was formed some time after the fall of the Taliban.

Classifications : Nationalist/Separatist

Leader : General Abdul Malik Pahlawan

7. Hezb-e Azadi-ye Afghanistan

Nominally a political party, the group is essentially a private army under the command of Abdul Malik.

Formerly a top commander under the infamous ethnic Uzbek warlord General Abdul Rashid Dostum, Malik split from the Dostum's militia in 1997 after Dostum allegedly killed Malik's brother.

Malik then joined with the Taliban who were steadily making territorial gains in the midst of the chaotic Afghan civil war. In short order, Malik switched sides yet again and orchestrated a massacre of several thousand Taliban near Mazar-e Sharif.

It appears that Malik and his militia backed the US-led invasion of Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks, but what role the group played in defeating the Taliban is unclear.

About the Organization

Hezb-e Azadi-ye Afghanistan, as it represents General Abdul Malik's militia, can be considered an active security threat in the region. Malik's forces continue to feud with Dostum's militia, causing numerous casualties on both sides, as well as among civilians caught in the cross-fire.

Current Status

General Abdul Malik PahlawanMalik Pahlawan is the head of the Freedom Party of Afghanistan (Hizb-e Azadi-ye Afghanistan). He also served as the former Head of Jumbesh-i-MilliIslami; he is considered to be an intense rival of Abdul Rashid Dostum. He was responsible for the capture of Ismail Khan by the Taliban, as well as the massacre of thousands of Taliban soldiers in the north when an alliance between him and the Taliban turned sour.

Notable Figures

Bases of Operation : Afghanistan

Date Formed : August 20, 2003

Classifications : Nationalist/Separatist, Religious

8. Mujahideen Message

Mujahedeen Message is held responsible for the August 2003 burning down of the Abu Sofial girls' school in Logar Province, south of Kabul Afghanistan.

Another school for girls had also recently been burned down in this area.

Under the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic Shari'a law, girls were prohibited from receiving education.

Schools for girls opened across Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban's fall in late 2001, yet certain Afghans remain opposed to the practices

In addition to their opposition to female education, the group has threatened to kill anyone cooperating with the US-backed government led by Hamid Karzai. 

Activities

http://www.nctc.gov/site/groups/taliban.htmlhttp://www.start.umd.edu/start/data_collectio

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/09/25/us-afghanistan-insurgency-sb-idUSTRE58O2F620090925

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Important links/websites