My Reflection

After doing lots of research on terrorism, i've become more aware of terrorism and its attacks going on around the world. It is important that we do what we can to ensure that these attacks are reduced because many innocent lives are being lost. Most of these terrorist attacks are due to difference in ideology as well as political reasons. This can be avoided if both parties were to understand each other and discuss their differences peacefully instead of using violence first.

Neutral take on the topic

The United Islamic Front (UIF)

The United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, more commonly known as the Northern Alliance, was a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996. The organization united various Afghan groups fighting against each other to fight the Taliban instead.
The UIF was comprised of roughly five of the factions of Mujahedin fighters. Iran and Turkey considered there to be seven factions in total. In late 2001, with assistance from and U.K and U.S air support, Paramilitary Officers from the CIA's Special Activities Division, Canada, United States Army Special Forces, and the British Armed Forces, the UIF succeeded in retaking most of Afghanistan from the Taliban.

Positive take on the topic

Egyptian Islamic Jihad

The EIJ is a militant Islamic group which emerged in the 1970s. Originally bent on installing a religious government in Egypt, the group joined forces with Al-Qaeda that year and broadened its aims. Largely absorbed into al-Qaeda, EIJ opposes Western influence in the Muslim world, including Arab governments aligned with Washington. According to reports, EIJ has been active worldwide for several years under the auspices of Al-Qaeda. EIJ is thought to be involved with most of the terrorist attacks on the United States in the last two decades, and its operatives played a key role in both attacks on the World Trade Center.

The EIJ is historically specialized in armed attacks against high-level Egyptian Government personnel, including cabinet ministers, and car bombings against official US and Egyptian facilities. The original Jihad was responsible for the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. They also claimed responsibility for the attempted assassinations of Interior Minister Hassan al-Alfi in August 1993 and Prime Minister Atef Sedky in November 1993. However, they have not conducted an attack inside Egypt since 1993 and has never successfully targeted foreign tourists there. The EIJ is also responsible for Egyptian Embassy bombing in Islamabad in 1995, but an attack against US Embassy in Albania was thwarted.

Critical take on the topic

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation(NATO)

The NATO is an alliance of 28 countries from North America and Europe committed to fulfilling the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty. The fundamental role of NATO is to safeguard the freedom and security of its member countries by political and military means. NATO safeguards the allies' common values democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law and the peaceful resolution of disputes, and promotes these values throughout the Euro-Atlantic area. NATO is committed to defending its member states against aggression and to the principle that an attack against one or several members would be considered an attack against all.

The September 11th terrorist attacks against the United States demonstrated two things:
- The capability of a determined enemy and
- The vulnerability of Alliance members to large-scale terrorist attacks.
NATO's declaration and following operations demonstrated the Alliance's intention to deal with this threat. The NATO Defense Ministers had set a task for the NATO Military Authorities to prepare a Military Concept for Defense Against Terrorism.

The major guiding principles in the development of the Concept include:
- Having a sound legal basis and fully conform to the relevant provisions of the UN Charter and all relevant international norms, including those concerned with human rights.
- Helping to deter, defend, disrupt and protect against terrorist attacks or threat of attacks, directed from abroad against populations, territory, infrastructure and forces of any NATO member state.
- Act on a case-by-case basis, if requested, in support of the international community’s efforts against terrorism.
- Providing assistance to national authorities in dealing with the consequences of terrorist attacks, particularly where such attacks involve the use of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) weapons.
- Working on the assumption that it is preferable to deter or prevent terrorist attacks rather than to deal with their consequences as they arise.

As the Concept was developed to defend against the threat identified in NATO’s Threat Assessment on Terrorism, the assessment thus concluded that:
- Although religious extremism is likely to be the source of the most terrorist threats, other motivations for terrorism could come from economic, social, demographic and political causes which were developed from unresolved conflicts or emerging philosophies.
- In addition, although state sponsorship of terrorism is banned, political circumstances could lead to its rise, providing terrorists with safe havens and considerable resources.
-The main form of terrorist attack remains as the creative use of conventional weapons and explosives. However, terrorist groups are expected to strive for the most destructive means available, including Weapons of Mass Destruction.





This video shows the city of Kandahar being controlled by the Taliban. Therefore NATO's Military Authorities step in to drive them out.

Background Information

Al-Qaeda is an international terrorist network with members from numerous countries and with a worldwide presence.
Established around 1988 by Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda helped finance, recruit, transport and train thousands of fighters from dozens of countries to be part of an Afghan resistance to defeat the Soviet Union. Al-Qaeda's current goal is to "unite all Muslims and to establish a government which follows the rule of the Caliphs." Bin Laden has stated that the only way to establish the pan-Islamic Caliphate throughout the world is by working with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes it deems "non-Islamic" and expelling Westerners and non-Muslims from Muslim countries.

In an Al-Qaeda house in Afghanistan, reporters found a brief statement of the “Goals and Objectives of Jihad”:

• Establishing the rule of God on earth
• Attaining martyrdom in the cause of God
• Purification of the ranks of Islam from the elements of depravity

Al-Qaeda has attacked civilian and military targets in various countries, the most notable being the September 11 attack on New York City and Washington, D.C. in 2001. The characteristics of the attack are usually suicide bombings and simultaneous bombings of different areas.
A militant muslim group called Lashkar Jihad, has become known for its violence against Christians in the Moluccas and Sulawesi. Its leader, Jaffar Umar Thahib is known to have met bin Laden in the 1980s.
The Indonesian Islamic Liberation Front (IILF) was also linked to Al-Qaeda where they were discovered to have received training not only from Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan but also from Al-Qaeda members in Mindanao, Phillipines.

Activities
2002
- Bombing of hotel in Mombasa, Kenya
- Probably supported the bombing of a nightclub in Bali
- Responsible for an attack on the US military personnel in Kuwait.
- Directed a suicide attack on the MV Limburg off the coast of Yemen
- Suicide attackers hijacked and crash four US commercial jets into the World
Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon near Washington and a field in
Shanksville, Pennsylvania on 11 September.

2003
- Bombing of three expatriate housing complex in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia that killed 20 and injured 139.
- Assisted in carrying out bombings of a Jewish center, restaurant, nightclub and hotel in
Casablanca which killed 41 and injured 101.
- Probably supported the bombing of J.W Marriot Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia on 5 August
- Conducted the bombings of two synagogues and the British Consulate in Istanbul on 15
November.

Al-Qaida is linked to the following attempts which either failed or were disrupted:
- To assasinate Pope John Paul II during his visit to Manila in 1994
- To kill President Clinton during his visit to the Phillipines in 1995
- To bomb a dozen US trans-Pacific flights mid air in 1995
- To set off a bomb at the Los Angeles airport in 1999
- Plotted to carry out terrorist operations against US or Israeli tourists visiting Jordan for
millennial celebrations in 1999.

Strength
Al-Qaeda serves as a focal point or umbrella organization for a worldwide network of extremist groups and has about a few thousand members and associates. The arrests of senior level operatives have interrupted some terrorist plots.

Location
Al-Qaeda was based in Afghanistan until joint forces removed the Taliban power in late 2001. They have thus been dispersed in small groups across South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Al-Qaeda would probably attempt to carry out future attacks against US interests.

Networks
Al-Qaeda maintains moneymaking front businesses by soliciting donations from like minded supporters and illegally siphoning funds from donations to Muslim charitable organizations. The US and international efforts to block Al-Qaida funding has restricted the group's ability to obtain money.