1.  Ethnonationalist/Separatist Terrorist Groups

2.  Seeking control over a specific territory  Nationalists/separatists pursue the goal of an autonomous state  Ethno-nationalist pursue the goal of state based on ethnicity  Usually operate within the confines of territorial borders

3.  Membership requires proper ethnic background  Much different from other categories, where being a “true believer” is enough to become a member  Focus is on “forging a distinct ethnic identity” apart from the state and “fostering ethnic mobilization.” - D. Byman

4.  Targets = members of a specific rival or dominant ethno-nationalist group  Marginalization and discrimination  structural disadvantages  discriminatory government policies  lack of political representation and human rights abuses based on ethnic differences  Insecurities and fear among members of an ethnic community have led them to believe that they are profoundly threatened by “others”  leads to “othering” and “us” versus “them”

5.  “Euzkadi ta Askatasuna” = “Basque Homeland and Freedom”  Autonomous nation-state for the Basque people of northern Spain and southwestern France  1930s – Franco regime seeks unification; squashes Basque culture, freedoms  1959, student movement to raise Basque political and cultural awareness; transforms into ETA in 1968, launches campaign of terrorist attacks (mostly bombings, kidnappings and assassinations); 2011 ceasefire...

6.  Sinhalese (Buddhist) 75% of population; Tamils (Hindu) 12.5%  1956, Sinhala declared Sri Lanka’s sole official language; 1973 adopted Buddhism as official state religion  Legislation gave preference to Sinhalese over Tamils (government jobs, university admission, other socioeconomic opportunities)  1976: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam formed; launches terrorist campaign, seeking independent state for Tamils  Pioneers suicide bombings (world’s leader of this tactic throughout 1990s); also developed Sea Tigers unit  Killed former Indian PM Rajiv Ghandi (1991) and Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa (1993); finally defeated in 2009 military offensive

7.  Attaturk, banned the teaching of Kurdish in schools and Kurdish broadcasting in an effort to secularize and standardize Turkish society  Kurdish communities are concentrated mainly in southeastern Turkey, the most rural and economically weakest regions in the south of the country  1978 Partiya Karkaren Kurdistan founded by Abdullah Ocalan  First attacks in 1984; targets include policemen, governors, members of the gendarmerie, state officials, and politicians  Ocalan captured 1999; calls for end to terrorism; PKK still launching attacks today...

8.  Founded 1922 as nationalist militia committed to a unified and independent Ireland  Opposed peace treaty with UK, lost civil war to pro-treaty forces  In Northern Ireland, Protestant (pro-UK) majority discriminates against the (anti-UK) Catholic minority; conflicts heat up  1972: British military asked to help security; Bloody Sunday leads to Provisional IRA, 26 year terror campaign targeting police, soldiers, judges, civilians, etc. (“Armalite and Ballot Box strategy)  1998: Sinn Fein signs Good Friday Agreement; Omagh bombing; still some dissident splinter groups (Continuity IRA, Real IRA)

9.  Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)  Spawns religious splinter group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)  Free Papua Movement, “Organisasi Papua Merdeka” (OPM)  East Turkestan Liberation Organization  Affiliated with East Turkistan Islamic Movement  East Turkestan Liberation Organization

10.  Kashmir independence/separatist groups  Lashkar-e-Taiba, “Army of the Pure”  Attacks include Indian Parliament building in New Delhi; November 2008 attacks in Mumbai  Northeast India separatist groups (Nagas, Meiteis, etc.)  United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)  National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT)  National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muviah (NSCN-IM)  United National Liberation Front (UNLF)

11.  Zionist, Jewish extremist groups (Stern Gang, Lehi)  Mix religious ideology with ethnically-based justification for violence  Yigal Amir kills PM Yitzhak Rabin  Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) established 1964; goal of “liberating Palestine from Israel”  Yassir Arafat; advancing Palestinian nationalism through terrorism  Power and control over a relatively tiny strip of land

12.  Nigeria: Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)  Grievances include environmental destruction of Ibo, Ogoni, Ijaw homelands by oil extraction  Lack of infrastructure development, social services provided by government in region  Angola: Front for the Liberation of the Cabinda Enclave (FLEC)  Grievances similar to those of MEND

13.  1990s, USSR dissolves, Chechnya declares independence; Russian troops invade to quell rebellion  Chechen groups launch terrorist campaign  Mosvar Bayayev Gang, the Riyad us-Saliheyn Martys’ Brigade, the Dagestani Shariah Jamaat, Special Purpose Islamic Regiment  Major terrorist incidents  Dubrovka Theater, Moscow (Oct. 2002); School No. 1, Beslan (Sept. 2004)  Black Widows – Moscow subways, airplanes, etc.

14.  Represent an ethnic minority within a larger population of an established nation-state  Operate within the geographic regions where they seek to change the status quo  Government targets; often, government actions created grievances for terrorist group  Portrayal of selves as vanguard of oppressed people pursuing self-determination

15.  Government actions in responding to terrorism can reinforce perceptions of oppression  Some terrorist attacks intended to provoke response; foster a stronger sense of ‘us vs. them’ among ethnic community members  Governments reluctant to make concessions; seen as weak or rewarding violence For more on these groups, see: For more on these groups, see: Global Terrorism Database Profiles http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data_collections/tops/ Global Terrorism Database Profiles http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data_collections/tops/ http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data_collections/tops/ National Counterterrorism Center Profiles http://www.nctc.gov/site/profiles/index.html National Counterterrorism Center Profiles http://www.nctc.gov/site/profiles/index.html http://www.nctc.gov/site/profiles/index.html