United States Department of State list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations
This article needs to be updated.(February 2020) |
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"Foreign Terrorist Organization" (FTO) is a designation for non-United States-based organizations deemed by the United States Secretary of State, in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (INA), to be involved in what US authorities define as terrorist activities. Most of the organizations on the list are Islamist extremist groups, nationalist/separatist groups, or Marxist militant groups.
The Department of State, along with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, also has the authority to designate individuals and entities as subject to counter-terrorism sanctions according to Executive Order 13224. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control maintains a separate list of such individuals and entities.[1][2]
Identification of candidates[]
The Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism (S/CT) of the U.S. Department of State continually monitors the activities of groups active around the world to identify targets for the "terrorist" designation. When reviewing potential targets, S/CT looks not only at the actual attacks that a group has carried out, but also at whether the group has engaged in planning and preparations for possible future acts of violence or retains the capability and intent to carry out such acts.[3]
Designation process[]
Once a target is identified, the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism prepares a detailed "administrative record," which is a compilation of information, typically including both classified and open sources information, demonstrating that the statutory criteria for designation have been satisfied.[2] If the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, decides to make the designation, the United States Congress is notified of the Secretary's intent to designate the organization and given seven days to review the designation, as the INA requires. Upon the expiration of the seven-day waiting period, notice of the designation is published in the Federal Register, at which point the designation takes effect. An organization designated as an FTO may seek judicial review of the designation in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit not later than 30 days after the designation is published in the Federal Register.
Under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the FTO may file a petition for revocation two years after the designation date (or in the case of redesignated FTOs, its most recent redesignation date) or two years after the determination date on its most recent petition for revocation. In order to provide a basis for revocation, the petitioning FTO must provide evidence that the circumstances forming the basis for the designation are sufficiently different as to warrant revocation. If no such review has been conducted during a five-year period with respect to a designation, then the Secretary of State is required to review the designation to determine whether revocation would be appropriate.
The procedural requirements for designating an organization as an FTO also apply to any redesignation of that organization. The Secretary of State may revoke a designation or redesignation at any time upon a finding that the circumstances that were the basis for the designation or redesignation have changed in such a manner as to warrant revocation, or that the national security of the United States warrants a revocation. The same procedural requirements apply to revocations made by the Secretary of State as apply to designations or redesignations. A designation may also be revoked by an Act of Congress, or set aside by a Court order.[3]
Legal criteria for designation[]
(Reflecting Amendments to Section 219 of the INA in the 2001 Patriot Act)
- It must be a foreign organization.
- The organization must engage in terrorist activity, as defined in section 212 (a)(3)(B) of the INA (8 U.S.C. § 1182(a) (3)(B)),* or terrorism, as defined in section 140(d)(2) of the , Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 (22 U.S.C. § 2656f(d) (2)),** or retain the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity or terrorism.
- The organization's terrorist activity or terrorism must threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security (national defense, foreign relations, or the economic interests) of the United States.[4]
Legal ramifications of designation[]
- It is unlawful for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide "material support or resources" to a designated FTO.[2] (The term "material support or resources" is defined in 18 U.S.C. § 2339A(b) as "currency or monetary instruments or financial securities, financial services, lodging, training, expert advice or assistance, safehouses, false documentation or identification, communications equipment, facilities, weapons, lethal substances, explosives, personnel, transportation, and other physical assets, except medicine or religious materials.")
- Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances, removable from the United States (see 8 U.S.C. §§ 1182 (a)(3)(B)(i)(IV)-(V), 1227 (a)(1)(A)).
- Any U.S. financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which a designated FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.[4]
Other effects of designation[]
The U.S. Department of State lists the following items as additional considered beneficial effects of designation:[5]
- Supports efforts to curb terrorism financing and to encourage other nations to do the same.
- Stigmatizes and isolates designated terrorist organizations internationally.
- Deters donations or contributions to and economic transactions with named organizations.
- Heightens public awareness and knowledge of terrorist organizations.
- Signals to other governments U.S. concern about named organizations.
Official designation of a group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization also triggers more robust means of combat under the Authorization for Use of Military Force act enacted in 2001, which is still in force today.[6]
Groups designated as FTOs[]
As of October 11, 2020, the following organizations are designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations:[7]
Date added | Name | Region | Area of operations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
October 8, 1997 | Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) | Asia | Philippines | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Aum Shinrikyo | Asia | Japan | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (Basque Fatherland and Liberty) (ETA) | Europe | Spain, France | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Gama'a al-Islamiyya | Africa, Middle East | Egypt | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) | Asia | Pakistan | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Hezbollah (Party of God) | Middle East | Lebanon | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Kahane Chai | Middle East | Israel | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Kongra-Gel (formerly Kurdistan Workers' Party) (KGK) | Middle East | Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria | Formerly PKK, KADEK. 62 FR 52650. |
October 8, 1997 | Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) | Asia | Sri Lanka, India | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | National Liberation Army (ELN) | South America | Colombia | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Islamic Jihad Group | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) | South America | Colombia | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) | Middle East | Turkey | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL) | South America | Peru | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1999 | al-Qa'ida | Worldwide | Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia | 64 FR 55112 |
September 25, 2000 | Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) | Asia | Uzbekistan, Afghanistan | |
May 16, 2001 | Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA) | Europe | Ireland, United Kingdom | Associated with 32 County Sovereignty Movement (32CSM) |
December 26, 2001 | Jaish-e-Mohammed (Army of Mohammed) (JEM) | Asia | Pakistan | |
December 26, 2001 | Lashkar-e Tayyiba (Army of the Righteous) (LET) | Asia | Pakistan | Later amended to include the Milli Muslim League.[8] |
March 27, 2002 | Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | |
March 27, 2002 | Asbat an-Ansar | Middle East | Lebanon | |
March 27, 2002 | al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb | Africa, Middle East | Algeria, Mali, Niger | (formerly GSPC) |
August 9, 2002 | Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA) | Asia | Philippines | |
October 23, 2002 | Jemaah Islamiya organization (JI) | Asia | Indonesia | Also in Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore |
January 30, 2003 | Lashkar i Jhangvi | Asia | Pakistan | |
March 22, 2004 | Ansar al-Islam | Middle East | Iraq | |
July 13, 2004 | Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) | Europe | Ireland, United Kingdom | |
December 17, 2004 | Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (formerly Al-Qaeda in Iraq aka Tanzim Qa'idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (QJBR)) | Worldwide | Iraq, Syria, Libya, Nigeria | Formerly Jama'at al-Tawhid wa'al-Jihad, JTJ, al-Zarqawi Network. Al-Nusra Front is considered an alias of Al-Qaeda in Iraq[9] |
June 17, 2005 | Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) | Asia | Uzbekistan | |
March 5, 2008 | Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI-B) | Asia | Bangladesh | |
March 18, 2008 | Al-Shabaab | Africa | Somalia, Yemen, Mozambique | |
May 18, 2009 | Revolutionary Struggle | Europe | Greece | |
July 2, 2009 | Kata'ib Hezbollah | Middle East | Iraq | |
January 19, 2010 | al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) | Middle East | Saudi Arabia | |
August 6, 2010 | Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI) | Asia | Bangladesh | |
September 1, 2010 | Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) | Asia | Pakistan | |
November 4, 2010 | Jaish ul-Adl (formerly Jundallah) | Asia | Iran | |
May 23, 2011 | Army of Islam (Palestinian)[10] | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | |
September 19, 2011 | Indian Mujahideen (IM) (India) | Asia | India | |
September 19, 2011 | Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) | Asia | Indonesia | |
May 30, 2012 | Abdullah Azzam Brigades | Middle East | Iraq | |
September 19, 2012 | Haqqani network (HQN) | Asia | Afghanistan, Pakistan | |
March 22, 2013 | Ansar Dine (AAD) | Africa | Mali | |
November 14, 2013 | Boko Haram | Africa | Nigeria | |
November 14, 2013 | Ansaru | Africa | Nigeria | |
December 19, 2013 | al-Mulathamun Brigade | Africa | Algeria | |
January 13, 2014 | Ansar al-Shari'a in Benghazi | Africa | Libya | |
January 13, 2014 | Ansar al-Shari'a in Darnah | Africa | Libya | |
January 13, 2014 | Ansar al-Shari'a in Tunisia | Africa | Tunisia | |
April 10, 2014 | ISIL Sinai Province (formerly Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis) | Africa, Middle East | Egypt | |
May 15, 2014 | Al-Nusra Front | Middle East | Syria | |
August 20, 2014 | Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem | Africa, Middle East | Egypt | |
September 30, 2015 | Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq al Naqshabandi (JRTN) | Middle East | Iraq | |
January 14, 2016 | ISIL Khorasan | Asia | Afghanistan | |
May 19, 2016 | ISIL Libya | Africa | Libya | |
June 30, 2016 | Al-Qa'ida in the Indian Subcontinent | Asia | Bangladesh, Pakistan | |
August 16, 2017 | Hizbul Mujahideen | Asia | Kashmir | |
February 28, 2018 | ISIS-Bangladesh | Asia | Bangladesh | |
February 28, 2018 | ISIS-Philippines | Asia | Philippines | |
February 28, 2018 | ISIS-West Africa | Asia | ||
May 23, 2018 | ISIS-Greater Sahara | Asia | ||
July 11, 2018 | al-Ashtar Brigades (AAB) | Asia | Bahrain | |
September 6, 2018 | Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) | Africa | Maghreb and West Africa | |
April 15, 2019 | Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | Asia | Iran | Branch of Iran's military[11] |
January 3, 2020 | Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq | Asia | Iraq | |
March 10, 2021 | ISIS-Democratic Republic of the Congo | Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
March 10, 2021 | ISIS-Mozambique | Africa | Mozambique |
Delisted FTOs[]
The following groups have been removed from the Department of State's list as of October 11, 2020,[7] most due to having been disbanded and thus being no longer active.
Date added | Date removed | Name | Region | Area of operations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
October 8, 1997 | October 8, 1999 | DFLP-Hawatmeh Faction (DFLP) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | October 8, 1999 | Khmer Rouge | Asia | Cambodia | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | October 8, 1999 | Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front – Dissidents (FPMR-D) | South America | Chile | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | October 8, 2001 | Japanese Red Army (JRA) | Asia | Japan | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | October 8, 2001 | Tupac Amaru Revolution Movement (MRTA) | South America | Peru | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | October 8, 2001 | Revolutionary Nuclei | Europe | Greece | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | October 15, 2010 | Armed Islamic Group (GIA) | Arab World, Africa | Algeria | 62 FR 52650 |
October 8, 1997 | September 28, 2012 | Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) | Asia, Middle East | Iraq, Iran | 62 FR 52650 |
October 11, 2005 | May 28, 2013 | Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (MICG) | Arab World, Africa | Morocco | |
September 10, 2001 | July 15, 2014 | United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) | South America | Colombia | |
October 8, 1997 | September 3, 2015 | Revolutionary Organization 17 November | Europe | Greece | 62 FR 52650 |
March 27, 2002 | December 9, 2015 | Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) | Africa | Libya | |
September 3, 2002 [12] | November 6, 2020 [13] | East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) | Asia | China | |
October 8, 1997 | June 1, 2017 | Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
January 11, 2021 | February 5, 2021 | Houthi Movement | Asia | Yemen |
Controversies[]
The 2012 delisting of Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) was supported by numerous US lawmakers, and defense and foreign policy officials, but was criticized by the National Iranian American Council.[14] The Treasury Department investigated allegations that payments to former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, on behalf of his lobbying for the MEK, had violated the legal ban on material support for an FTO.[14]
In November 2013, the State Department listed the Nigerian terrorist organization Boko Haram as an FTO. In 2014, Republican members of Congress criticized the State Department for not designating the group as an FTO earlier.[15][6]
In August 2014 the Christian Science Monitor reported that U.S. military was coordinating with Kurdish forces in Iraq, including elements of the PKK, seemed to be in violation of the ban on assistance to a designated FTO.[16]
See also[]
- Executive Order 13224
- List of designated terrorist groups
- Specially Designated Global Terrorist
- U.K. List of Proscribed Groups
References[]
- ^ Bureau of Counterterrorism (May 14, 2014). "Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224". state.gov. U.S. State Department. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Zarate, Juan C. (2013). Treasury's War. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781610391153.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism (April 10, 2014). "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". state.gov. U.S. State Department. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Office of the Spokesman (September 1, 2010). "Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation". state.gov. US Department of State. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ Office of the Spokesman (September 1, 2010). "Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation". state.gov. US Department of State. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Lindsey Boerma (May 9, 2014). "Hillary Clinton's Handling of Boko Haram: Are Critics Justified?". cbsnews.com. CBS News. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". United States Department of State. Archived from the original on October 7, 2020.
- ^ "US designates Hafiz Saeed's MML as LeT affiliate in FTO list - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ Office of the Spokesperson (December 11, 2012). "State Dept. on Designation of Al-Nusrah Front as Terrorist Group". state.gov. U.S. State Department. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
- ^ "Designation of Army of Islam". State.gov. May 5, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
- ^ "Revolutionary Guard Corps: US labels Iran force as terrorists - BBC News". BBC. April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm
- ^ https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3108910/china-could-face-greater-terrorism-threat-us-delists-east
- ^ Jump up to: a b Scott Shane (September 21, 2012). "Iranian Opposition Group Wins Removal from US Terrorist List". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ Glenn Kessler (May 19, 2014). "Boko Haram: Inside the State Department debate over the 'terrorist' label". Washington Post.
- ^ Dan Murphy (August 15, 2014). "Are the US, France, and UK lining up to support the 'terrorist' PKK in Iraq?". csmonitor.com. Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
External links[]
- Current official U.S. Department of State list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations
- Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Congressional Research Service
- US Department of State's Foreign Terrorist Organizations, released April 8, 2008 Fact Sheet, upon which this article is based, which also contains the legal references.
- US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, 'What you need to know about U.S. Sanctions'
- European Union list of terrorist groups and individuals, 2007
- European Union list of terrorist groups and individuals, January 2009
- Kurth Cronin, Audrey; Huda Aden, Adam Frost, and Benjamin Jones (2004-02-06) (PDF). Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved on 2009-03-04.
- United States Department of State
- Organizations designated as terrorist by the United States
- Terrorism-related lists
- Government databases in the United States