The LTTE has been named amongst the approximately 60 global militant groups on the United States State Department’s 2014 list of foreign terrorist organisations.

 

 

Here follows the names of these non-United States-based organisations deemed by the United States Secretary of State, in accordance with section 219 of the American Immigration and Nationality Act, to be involved in terrorist activities: Abu Nidal Organisation functioning in the Palestinian Territories (added in this United States State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations on October 8, 1997), Abu Sayyaf group of the Philippines (added on October 8, 1997), Aum Shinrikyo of Japan (added on October 8, 1997), Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) or the Basque Fatherland and Liberty group operation in Spain and France (October 8, 1997), Gama’a al-Islamiyya of Egypt (October 8, 1997), Hamas of the Palestinian Territories (October 8, 1997), Harakat ul-Mujahidin of Pakistan (October 8, 1997), Hezbollah of Lebanon (October 8, 1997), Kahane Chai of Israel (October 8, 1997), Kongra-Gel (formerly Kurdistan Workers’ Party) was also added to this United States State Department list on October 8, 1997 for carrying out subversive activities in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of Sri Lanka (October 8, 1997), National Liberation Army of Colombia (October 8, 1997), the Palestine Liberation Front (October 8, 1997), Islamic Jihad Group of the Palestinian Territories (October 8, 1997), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (October 8, 1997), PFLP-General Command of the Palestinian Territories (October 8, 1997), the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or the FARC of Colombia (October 8, 1997), Revolutionary Organisation of Greece (October 8, 1997), the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front of Turkey (October 8, 1997), the Shining Path of Peru (October 8, 1997), the Al-Qaeda was added to this list on October 8, 1999 for orchestrating terrorist activities in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia etc, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan was added on September 25, 2000 for its terrorism-related acts in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, the Real Irish Republican Army was added to this list on May 16, 2001 for disturbing the calm of Ireland and United Kingdom, the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia was added on September 10, 2001 or just a day before 9/11, the Jaish-e-Mohammed of Pakistan on December 26, 2001, Lashkar-e Tayyiba of Pakistan on December 26, 2001, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades of the Palestinian Territories (March 27, 2002), the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group on March 27, 2002, the Asbat an-Ansar of Lebanon (March 27, 2002), the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb was added on March 27, 2002for playing havoc with the tranquility of Algeria, Mali and Niger, Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army was added on August 9, 2002, the Jemaah Islamiya organisation of Indonesia (October 23, 2002), the Lashkar i Jhangvi of Pakistan on January 30, 2003, the Al-Qaeda Kurdish Battalions of Iraq on March 22, 2004, the Continuity Irish Republican Army of UK and Ireland on July 13, 2004, the Tanzim Qa’idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn of Iraq or the al-Zarqawi Network on December 17, 2004, Islamic Jihad Union of Uzbekistan on June 17, 2005, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami of Bangladesh on March 5, 2008, Al-Shabaab of Somalia on March 18, 2008, the Revolutionary Struggle of Greece on May 18, 2009, the Kata’ib Hezbollah of Iraq on July 2, 2009, the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was added on January 19, 2010 for carrying out/planning attacks against Saudi Arabia, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan or the TTP on September 1, 2010, the Jundallah of Iran on November 4, 2010, the Palestinian Army of Islam on May 23, 2011, the Indian Mujahideen on September 19, 2011, the Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid of Indonesia on September 19, 2011, Abdullah Azzam Brigades of Iraq on May 30, 2012, the Haqqani network of Afghanistan on September 19, 2012, the Ansar Dine of Mali on March 22, 2013, the Boko Haram of Nigeria on November 14, 2013, the Ansaru of Nigeria on November 14, 2013, al-Mulathamun Brigade of Algeria on December 19, 2013, the Libyan Ansar al-Shari’a in Benghazi on January 13, 2014, the Ansar al-Shari’a in Darnah of Libya on January 13, 2014 and the Ansar al-Shari’a in Tunisia on January 13, 2014.

 

 

 

Interestingly, a few global militant organizations, previously branded as terrorist outfits, were also removed from the US State Department’s under-discussion list.

 

 

 

These included:

 

 

 

The Hawatmeh Faction of the Palestinian authorities (added on October 8, 1997 and then removed from the list on October 8, 1999), the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia (added on October 8, 1997 and then removed from the list on October 8, 1999), the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front – Dissidents of Chile (added on October 8, 1997 and then removed from the list on October 8, 1999), the Japanese Red Army (added on October 8, 1997 and then removed from the list on October 8, 2001), the Tupac Amaru Revolution Movement of Peru (added on October 8, 1997 and then removed from the list on October 8, 2001), Revolutionary Nuclei of Greece (added on October 8, 1997 and then removed from the list on October 8, 2001), Armed Islamic Group of Algeria(added on October 8, 1997 and then removed from the list on October 15, 2010), Mujahedin-e Khalq of Iran/Iraq (added on October 8, 1997 and then removed from the list on September 28, 2012) and the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (added on October 11, 2005 and then removed from the list on May 28, 2013).