This lens links to and discusses the various counterterrorism units in the U.S. and abroad that are called to be active players in the war on terror.
Image courtesy of Maurizio Fulignati and www.specialoperations.com
Counterterrorism Groups
The Good Guys
The following links are to information and descriptions of military and paramilitary counterterrorism groups that are involved in the war on terror.
- CIA Special Activities Staff
- The Special Activities Staff (SAS) is one of the least known covert units operating on behalf of the US Government. Operating in teams as large as 12, or as small as one, the SAS is considered to be among the world's top special operations units. SAS personnel have been described as being particularly skilled in counterterrorist/hostage rescue operations, and are said to capable of "taking down" any type of vehicle, aircraft, ship, building, or facility.
- FBI Counterterrorism
- Working hand-in-hand with partners in law enforcement, intelligence, the military, and diplomatic circles, their job is to neutralize terrorist cells and operatives in the U.S. and to help dismantle terrorist networks worldwide.
- U.S, Army Delta Force
- he 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFOD-D) is one of two units in the United States Armed Forces assigned primarily to combat terrorism. The other is the Navy's 'Dev Group.' Delta members are experts at counterinsurgency, small unit tactics, and various infiltration techniques.
- Naval Special Warfare Development Group (Formerly Seal Team 6)
- The Naval Special Warfare Development Group, based in Dam Neck, Virginia, is responsible for U.S. counterterrorist operations in the maritime environment.
- U.S. Army Intelligence Support Activity
- Perhaps the least known, and most classified unit within the realm of US special operations is the Intelligence Support Activity, a small, highly trained and capable intelligence unit. The amount of accurate and up-to-date information about the ISA is very small, due to the extremely high secrecy surrounding the unit, but over the years, various books and reports have gleamed some information about the ISA.
- Italy's Gruppo Intervento Speciale (GIS) - Special Intervention Group
- In the fall 1977 the Carabinieri's HQ decided to establish a CT Unit to counter the growing terrorist phenomena. Few months later, the GIS "Gruppo Intervento Speciale" was born. GIS is the Carabinieri CT Unit and it responds directly to the Carabinieri' HQ and to the Ministry of Interior. The focus of GIS has always been on very high risk CT operations, such as the storming of hijacked aircraft.
Navy Seals
News on Navy Seal operations in the War on Terror.
- Two Navy Seals to receive posthumous honors Wednesday
- Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz, 25, of Littleton, Colo., and Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson, 29, of Cupertino, Calif., killed in action in Afghanistan last year, will be awarded posthumous Navy Cross medals Wednesday at the Pentagon. The Navy Cross, the Associated Press writes, is the Navy's second-highest medal.
U.S. Army
News on U.S. Army operations in the War on Terror.
- GIs hunt al-Qaida in Afghan mountains
- Only about 100 hard-core Afghan, Arab and Pakistani insurgents operate in the Korangal Valley, but this is where the U.S. last year suffered its worst combat loss in Afghanistan and where the military believes at least second-tier al-Qaida leaders still hide and plan attacks.
Terrorism Glossary (A-B)
American Airlines Flight 11
Commercial airline hijacked on September 11, 2001, and flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center.
American Airlines Flight 77
Commercial airline hijacked on September 11, 2001, and flown into the Pentagon.
Anthrax
Infectious and generally fatal disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Spores were used in bioterrorist attacks since Sept. 11. Anthrax can infect by inhalation or skin contact. If diagnosed early, Anthrax can be treated with antibiotics and there is a strong probability of recovery.
Anti-Terrorism
Anti-terrorism efforts are those measures which are preventive and reduce vulnerability to terrorist attack. Increased security at airports and nuclear power plants are examples of anti-terrorism measures.
Assassination
Killing a specific individual. The targeted nature of assassination does not qualify it as terrorism though terrorists are not above the act. After a Congressional investigation revealed a CIA plot to kill Fidel Castro in 1976, President Gerald Ford signed an Executive Order to ban CIA involvement in assassinations.
Atta
Mohamed Atta is suspected of being the leader of the terrorists who conducted and died in the September 11, 2001 hijackings.
Aum Shinrikyo
Japanese cult that released sarin nerve gas in the Japanese subway system in 1995.
bin Laden
Osama (a.k.a. Usama) bin Laden, a Saudi native, is one of the twenty-four sons of Saudi Arabian builder, Mohammed bin Oud bin Laden. Osama's personal piece of the bin Laden wealth has been estimated at $300 million, but it is believed to be severely depleted now. He is the current leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist organization.
Bioterrorism
Terrorism using poisonous bacteria or virus.
Botulinum
Bacterium that could easily be used by terrorists to contaminate food supplies.
Commercial airline hijacked on September 11, 2001, and flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center.
American Airlines Flight 77
Commercial airline hijacked on September 11, 2001, and flown into the Pentagon.
Anthrax
Infectious and generally fatal disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Spores were used in bioterrorist attacks since Sept. 11. Anthrax can infect by inhalation or skin contact. If diagnosed early, Anthrax can be treated with antibiotics and there is a strong probability of recovery.
Anti-Terrorism
Anti-terrorism efforts are those measures which are preventive and reduce vulnerability to terrorist attack. Increased security at airports and nuclear power plants are examples of anti-terrorism measures.
Assassination
Killing a specific individual. The targeted nature of assassination does not qualify it as terrorism though terrorists are not above the act. After a Congressional investigation revealed a CIA plot to kill Fidel Castro in 1976, President Gerald Ford signed an Executive Order to ban CIA involvement in assassinations.
Atta
Mohamed Atta is suspected of being the leader of the terrorists who conducted and died in the September 11, 2001 hijackings.
Aum Shinrikyo
Japanese cult that released sarin nerve gas in the Japanese subway system in 1995.
bin Laden
Osama (a.k.a. Usama) bin Laden, a Saudi native, is one of the twenty-four sons of Saudi Arabian builder, Mohammed bin Oud bin Laden. Osama's personal piece of the bin Laden wealth has been estimated at $300 million, but it is believed to be severely depleted now. He is the current leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist organization.
Bioterrorism
Terrorism using poisonous bacteria or virus.
Botulinum
Bacterium that could easily be used by terrorists to contaminate food supplies.
Terrorism Glossary (C-L)
Cell
Small group of terrorists within the same organization working secretly with limited contact with their group's command element.
Chlorine Dioxide
Chemical capable of killing bacteria such as Anthrax. Used in liquid form to purify water and in gaseous form to decontaminate buildings.
The Hart Senate office building was decontaminated with the gaseous form after Anthrax spores were found there.
Counter-Terrorism
Military, police or intelligence measures used to fight terrorism with pre-emptive or retaliatory measures.
Cyanide
Poison that has the possibility of being used in chemical terrorism.
Dar es Salaam
Capital of Tanzania. The U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam was bombed by a suicide bomber attached to the Al Qaeda terrorist organization.
Entebbe
This event is a prime example of Israel's prompt and decisive response to terrorism. In 1976, terrorists hijacked an Air France flight, landed it at Uganda's Entebbe Airport and demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners. Over the course of a week on the ground, the terrorists released a little over half of the hostages, holding 103 who were mostly Israelis. Under cover of night, three C-130 aircraft, loaded with Israeli commandos landed at Entebbe, attacked the hijacked aircraft and killed seven hijackers and 20 Ugandan soldiers. Unfortunately, three hostages and the Israeli commander also died.
al-Fadl
Jamal al-Fadl fled to the West after being caught embezzling from Al Qaeda. In exchange for his safety, he has provided important information about the criminal and financial dealings of Al Qaeda.
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
Under the 1978 law, the FBI is allowed to monitor suspected terrorists without showing probable cause.
Foreign Terrorist Asset Tracking Center (FTAT)
Agency attempting to track and seize/freeze terrorist assets worldwide.
Hawala
Informal funds transfer system used worldwide. Since it is an informal and paperless system, terrorist organizations can safely make use of it without their transactions being traced. Service providers are known as Hawaladars.
Irradiation
Process used to eliminate disease-causing germs. The US Postal Service used irradiation on mail to combat anthrax.
Khobar Towers
U.S. military barracks complex in Saudi Arabia that was car-bombed by Al Qaeda in 1996. 19 Airmen were killed and 370 injured.
Lockerbie
Crash site in Scotland of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988. A terrorist checked a bag with plastic explosive.
Small group of terrorists within the same organization working secretly with limited contact with their group's command element.
Chlorine Dioxide
Chemical capable of killing bacteria such as Anthrax. Used in liquid form to purify water and in gaseous form to decontaminate buildings.
The Hart Senate office building was decontaminated with the gaseous form after Anthrax spores were found there.
Counter-Terrorism
Military, police or intelligence measures used to fight terrorism with pre-emptive or retaliatory measures.
Cyanide
Poison that has the possibility of being used in chemical terrorism.
Dar es Salaam
Capital of Tanzania. The U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam was bombed by a suicide bomber attached to the Al Qaeda terrorist organization.
Entebbe
This event is a prime example of Israel's prompt and decisive response to terrorism. In 1976, terrorists hijacked an Air France flight, landed it at Uganda's Entebbe Airport and demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners. Over the course of a week on the ground, the terrorists released a little over half of the hostages, holding 103 who were mostly Israelis. Under cover of night, three C-130 aircraft, loaded with Israeli commandos landed at Entebbe, attacked the hijacked aircraft and killed seven hijackers and 20 Ugandan soldiers. Unfortunately, three hostages and the Israeli commander also died.
al-Fadl
Jamal al-Fadl fled to the West after being caught embezzling from Al Qaeda. In exchange for his safety, he has provided important information about the criminal and financial dealings of Al Qaeda.
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
Under the 1978 law, the FBI is allowed to monitor suspected terrorists without showing probable cause.
Foreign Terrorist Asset Tracking Center (FTAT)
Agency attempting to track and seize/freeze terrorist assets worldwide.
Hawala
Informal funds transfer system used worldwide. Since it is an informal and paperless system, terrorist organizations can safely make use of it without their transactions being traced. Service providers are known as Hawaladars.
Irradiation
Process used to eliminate disease-causing germs. The US Postal Service used irradiation on mail to combat anthrax.
Khobar Towers
U.S. military barracks complex in Saudi Arabia that was car-bombed by Al Qaeda in 1996. 19 Airmen were killed and 370 injured.
Lockerbie
Crash site in Scotland of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988. A terrorist checked a bag with plastic explosive.
Terrorism Glossary (M-R)
McVeigh
Timothy McVeigh was responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing. After being found guilty, he was executed.
Millennium plot
Terrorist plot by Al Qaeda to bomb Los Angeles International Airport in December 1999.
Munich
Site of 1972 Summer Olympics. Eleven Israeli athletes and coaches were abducted and killed by eight members of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September.
Nairobi
Capital of Kenya and site of U.S. Embassy bombing by Al Qaeda in 1998. The United States performed an ineffective retaliation by ordering missile strikes on an abandoned training camp in Afghanistan and a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan.
National Pharmaceutical Stockpile
Located at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. Vaccines and antidotes are being stored there in the event of a germ warfare attack.
Oklahoma City
Known as the site of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Timothy McVeigh parked and detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. 168 people, including 19 children at a day care center, were killed.
Pentagon
Five-sided headquarters building of the U.S. Department of Defense. 189 people there were killed in the September 11 terrorist attack.
Rahman
Omar Abdul Rahman. Convicted as the Gamaa Islamiya mastermind of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.
Ressam
Ahmed Ressam. Trained in Afghanistan by Al Qaeda. Received $12,000 and orders from Osama bin Laden to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport. When convicted, he testified that bin Laden told him to raise the rest of the money necessary for his mission by robbing banks.
Timothy McVeigh was responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing. After being found guilty, he was executed.
Millennium plot
Terrorist plot by Al Qaeda to bomb Los Angeles International Airport in December 1999.
Munich
Site of 1972 Summer Olympics. Eleven Israeli athletes and coaches were abducted and killed by eight members of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September.
Nairobi
Capital of Kenya and site of U.S. Embassy bombing by Al Qaeda in 1998. The United States performed an ineffective retaliation by ordering missile strikes on an abandoned training camp in Afghanistan and a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan.
National Pharmaceutical Stockpile
Located at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. Vaccines and antidotes are being stored there in the event of a germ warfare attack.
Oklahoma City
Known as the site of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Timothy McVeigh parked and detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. 168 people, including 19 children at a day care center, were killed.
Pentagon
Five-sided headquarters building of the U.S. Department of Defense. 189 people there were killed in the September 11 terrorist attack.
Rahman
Omar Abdul Rahman. Convicted as the Gamaa Islamiya mastermind of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.
Ressam
Ahmed Ressam. Trained in Afghanistan by Al Qaeda. Received $12,000 and orders from Osama bin Laden to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport. When convicted, he testified that bin Laden told him to raise the rest of the money necessary for his mission by robbing banks.
Terrorism Glossary (S-Z)
Sarin
Nerve gas used in Japanese subway attack by the Aum Shinrikyo cult.
Smallpox
Deadly virus that could be used as a bioterrorism agent. Used effectively by US Cavalry against Native American Great Plains tribes.
State Terrorism
Acts of terrorism committed by a government against its own people. Saddam Hussein ordered such attacks with nerve gas against Iraqi Kurds and by contaminating the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates in an effort to exterminate the Marsh Arabs of Iraq.
State-Sponsored Terrorism
Acts funded, supplied and assisted by a government and carried out by non-government groups. The US Department of State currently lists seven nations as sponsors of terrorism: Cuba, Libya, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.
Terrorism
The use of force or threats to demoralize or intimidate a group of people for political reasons.
TWA Flight 847
Flight hijacked in 1985 en route from Athens to Rome. Hijackers held the crew and most passengers hostage for 17 days, flying to Algiers and Beirut as they tried to negotiate for the release of prisoners held by Israel. American Navy diver, Robert Stethem, was chosen from among the passengers, beaten, shot in the right temple, and dumped onto the tarmac.
United Airlines Flight 93
Hijacked in September 11 attacks and crashed in Pennsylvania when passengers overpowered the hijackers and kept them from hitting their target.
United Airlines Flight 175
Hijacked in September 11 attacks and crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center.
USS Cole
US Navy destroyer attacked in 2000 in Yemen by Al Qaeda suicide bombers killing 17 and injuring 39.
USS Sullivan
Target of failed terrorist bombing in Yemen in 2000.
VX
Nerve gas which could possibly be used in a chemical attack by terrorists.
World Trade Center
The financial complex in New York City that was the target of a 1993 truck bombing as well as an attack in 2001 that used two aircraft as bombs. Terrorists flew the aircraft into the towers of the World Trade Center, destroying both towers and killing thousands of civilians who were in the aircraft and the buildings.
Yousef
Ramzi Yousef was the planner of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
al-Zawahiri
Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda's second in command to Osama bin Laden. Believed to be hiding in Afghanistan with bin Laden.
Nerve gas used in Japanese subway attack by the Aum Shinrikyo cult.
Smallpox
Deadly virus that could be used as a bioterrorism agent. Used effectively by US Cavalry against Native American Great Plains tribes.
State Terrorism
Acts of terrorism committed by a government against its own people. Saddam Hussein ordered such attacks with nerve gas against Iraqi Kurds and by contaminating the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates in an effort to exterminate the Marsh Arabs of Iraq.
State-Sponsored Terrorism
Acts funded, supplied and assisted by a government and carried out by non-government groups. The US Department of State currently lists seven nations as sponsors of terrorism: Cuba, Libya, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.
Terrorism
The use of force or threats to demoralize or intimidate a group of people for political reasons.
TWA Flight 847
Flight hijacked in 1985 en route from Athens to Rome. Hijackers held the crew and most passengers hostage for 17 days, flying to Algiers and Beirut as they tried to negotiate for the release of prisoners held by Israel. American Navy diver, Robert Stethem, was chosen from among the passengers, beaten, shot in the right temple, and dumped onto the tarmac.
United Airlines Flight 93
Hijacked in September 11 attacks and crashed in Pennsylvania when passengers overpowered the hijackers and kept them from hitting their target.
United Airlines Flight 175
Hijacked in September 11 attacks and crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center.
USS Cole
US Navy destroyer attacked in 2000 in Yemen by Al Qaeda suicide bombers killing 17 and injuring 39.
USS Sullivan
Target of failed terrorist bombing in Yemen in 2000.
VX
Nerve gas which could possibly be used in a chemical attack by terrorists.
World Trade Center
The financial complex in New York City that was the target of a 1993 truck bombing as well as an attack in 2001 that used two aircraft as bombs. Terrorists flew the aircraft into the towers of the World Trade Center, destroying both towers and killing thousands of civilians who were in the aircraft and the buildings.
Yousef
Ramzi Yousef was the planner of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
al-Zawahiri
Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda's second in command to Osama bin Laden. Believed to be hiding in Afghanistan with bin Laden.
Related Links
- Terrorism: Be Prepared - Associated Content
- How to be prepared for anything
- Prepare Your Family for Emergencies - Associated Content
- Make sure your family is safe in any emergency
