Militant groups are on the increase in the recent past. The word militant means devoting one’s life as a soldier. The term describes movements that use terrorism strategies to conquer their opponents. The various militia groups or extremists rarely share ordinary tactics. The groups usually employ violence either in defense or offense. Terrorists often justify their actions of using force. The span of militancy covers political continuum, advocacy groups, and militant anarchists. The militancy in the Islamic aspect depicts aggressive and violent political action. These actions are formed by Islamic governments, movements, groups, and individuals.
The militant groups in this context will cover the extremists or terrorists who are found to be causing human suffering in the world (Rasha 1073). The international militant groups mainly revolve around the Islam community, but other religions are also involved. Islamic community describes some of their actions as Holy War. The dominant groups are Al-Qaeda and Sunni extremists. Other groups include the Armed Islamic Group, Kashmir, Egypt Islamic group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and many others (Rasha 1073).
There are several reasons why militant groups are formed and maintained. People join the groups and stay in them for life. Terrorists claim the humiliations they experience from their Christian counterparts and other religions. Muslim Jambaz Force was formed because they wanted to recover the lost golden periods in the. The West overwhelms the Muslims and perishes their ego (Rasha 1073). The deputy of Osama bin Laden accuses the current world orders and globalization to be humiliating to the Muslims. Almost all Muslim youths are encouraged to carry firearms to stand for their religion with dignity and pride.
They claim their actions will save the Muslim community from the globalization humiliation. Al-Qaeda works closely with other extremist to put an end to regimes that are repugnant with the Islamic traditions. Another aim is to expel westerners and other non-Muslims from their dominant countries. Some documented objectives in Afghanistan include the establishment of the rule of God in the universe. Others are the purification of Muslims and martyrdom attainment in the path of God.
The general operation of the groups
The militant groups use several methods to execute their wars and attacks. Among the tactics are suicide attack, hijacking, kidnapping, and bombing, assassination, etc. Some groups use chemical, biological and nuclear armaments to increase the severity of their attacks against their opponents. Others hide explosives in the hulk of vehicles or secret compartments to commit car bombing (Elaine 13). The groups target significant buildings, military personnel and embassies. Ideas to use surrogates to execute the attacks are underway to hide the identity. The militant groups have an alliance website where ideas and new developments are posted and shared.
The website serves the Sunni militants worldwide. They include North Africans, Pakistanis, radical Palestinians and Central Asians. Most of the insurgent groups get support from national governments holding immense antipathy on the US.
An international militia is the Saudi anarchy, Al-Qaeda, is led by Osama who is said to be the most dangerous man in the world (Elaine 13). It was formed in 1988. Inversion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union led to its formation. The group provides finance for recruitment, training of fighters from corners of the world. The group promised to kill all the Us military and civilians plus their cronies. They colluded with the Al-Jihad of Egypt in 2001 to execute the task ahead of them. Al Qaeda marked a history when they bombed twin towers in the United States on September 11, 2001. This led the declaration of war on the Taliban.
The group uses the tactics of bombing, hijacking among other operation techniques listed above (Elaine 13). The al Qaeda targets the United States and its allied countries. They also target corrupt Muslim countries and the Jewish. The 2001 was carried out because of the United States’ pro-Israel in the Middle East issues. Another reason for the attack was because Israel bombed Beirut in 1982.
There are many attacks linked to al Qaeda in Africa, middle-east, North and South America, Europe, Asia and the former soviet republics. Countries that have experienced their attacks include Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Yemen, and Tunisia. The targeted areas in the above listed countries were either US embassies or residential places for persons allied to the US.
The al Qaeda has an operation manual produced in 1990. The manual of the Afghan Jihad gives details on explosives, handguns, chemical and biological weapons. It stipulates surveillance, forgery and espionage. The militant group operates in the whole world. Known areas of action include Yemen, United States, Pakistan and Germany. The group supports Islamic Militants IN Algeria, Eritrea, Afghanistan, and Yemen among other, many nations. The al Qaeda has many secretive cells in Uganda, Germany and United States. Other countries suspected are the UK, Italy, Spain, France, and Albania. The headquarters of the group was in Sudan from 1991 to 1996.
It was in Afghanistan until its fall in 2001. It is headquartered is suspected to be in Pakistan or Iran. The sect gets support from the construction empire belonging to Bin Laden Group. Al Qaeda currently relies on affiliate groups to transmit out its schema. This came on course after they felt the wrath of the US due to the 2001 attack. It links with certain groups for training and logistics. Such militant groups include Hezbollah and Iran-backed extremist groups.
Iraqi insurgency, Iraq resistance, is another amorphous international militia group. It comprises foreign fighters and all-Iraqi groups that resist the US forces in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi administration. The conflict is between the United States’ supported government and within the population. This group began in 2003 after the new government establishment. They targeted the Iraqi police and armies for collaborating with the United States.
The insurgency is comprised of about twelve foremost organizations and over 43 distinct groups. The main groups are Ba’athists that support Saddam Hussein’s ex-regime, Iraqi nationalists, Sunni Islamists, Salafi Islamists, alien Islamist volunteers, and Shi’a militias (Zaki 88). It is confirmed that Iranian intelligence personnel take part in the insurgency.
The group uses tactics like kidnappings, car bombs, hostage-taking, and other techniques targeting Iraqis and the U.S. military. The areas of operation of the group include the countryside and the cities. In particular, they operate most of the time along the Euphrates River and Tigris River (Zaki 88). The cities around Baghdad are on high target. The United States, in conjunction with the Iraqi government, formed counter-insurgency operations to counter attack the militia. The group gets funding from Islamic organizations, the al Qaeda group and other international groups and individuals.
Egyptian Islamic Jihad (Islamic Jihad) is another noteworthy international insurgent group allied to the al Qaeda. It is based in Egypt since 1970s. The leader since 1991 is Ayman al-Zawahiri. The primary aim was to replace the Egyptian government with the Islamic regime. It is also involved in attacks against Israel and the United States interests abroad and Egypt. They attempted to kill the then interior minister for Egypt whose aim was to crackdown Islamic militants, an attempt was made later to kill the Egyptian prime minister in a car bomber. Mustafa Hamza, the then EIJ leader, missed killing President Mubarak while attending unity meeting in Ethiopia.
The Egypt Islamic jihad (EIJ) merged with Al Qaeda to form Qaeda al-Jihad in 2001. The EIJ began influencing Osama bin Laden in mid 1980s because Osama was the chief financier of the Afghanistan jihad. Their activities include the attacking the superior Egyptian government officials such as ministers. Car bombing is also common in their executions targeting US officials. The militant group and the armed group displayed violence against the government in 1992 (Zaki 88). The group is also accused of bombing Egyptian embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan in 1995. They also premeditated attack on United States embassy in Albania in, 1998. The Egyptian extremist group is purported to be getting aid from Iran and Osama bin Laden. Other suspected sources include cover businesses, criminal acts and Islamic organizations.
Another dangerous group at the horn of Africa is the Al-Shabaab from Somalia. The real name is Harakat-al-Shabaab al- Mujahideen consisting of around 6,000 soldiers. It is an insurgency faction involved in the current war, in Somalia, in eastern Africa. The group is against the transitional government which gets support from the United Nations and other African countries. Its main aim is to impose the harsh sheria law in Somalia.
It currently controls large area of that nation including the capital city, Mogadishu. They attach those who are pro-government. The group also caries out kidnapping, hijacking and madder attacks in the Indian Ocean, north of Somalia. The aim is to get ransoms for their survival and sustainability of the group. They threaten the neighboring countries like Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia and others. They have also committed several attacks in such countries. They get support from certain Somalia citizen, the al Qaeda and other Islamic countries.
Impacts and management of the militant groups
The resultant effects of the militia groups are saddening. Their actions result into human humiliations. Millions of lives have been lost collectively in the insurgency activities. Lose of assets and reduced development result from the militia actions. Large sums of money, which could have been used in development, is pumped in to support the militant groups. Most of the survivors of the terrorist attacks end up in the refugee camps, where they lead miserable lives. The groups force the minors to join their camps thus depriving them of attaining their goals in life. The widespread attacks lead to outlawed activities like rape, defilement and sodomy. Some can not allow for smooth running of the government affairs like the case in Iraq and Somalia.
Excellent plans have been employed to counter-attack the terror groups. The United Nations Security Council has stipulated stern actions against the countries and individuals purported to be fueling the militant groups. The United States works closely with many nations to counter-attack the militia. Burning some suspected countries to participate in the international money market are some of the penalties. The control of this group requires a consorted effort from every person and nation.
Works Cited
Elaine, Landau. Osama Bin Laden; A War against the West. Connecticut, CT: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002 9-15.
Rasha, Abdulla. Islam, Jihad, and Terrorism in Post-9/11 Arabic Discussion Boards. Journal of Computer Mediated Communications, 2007, 1063-1078.
Zaki, Chehab. Iraq Ablaze; Inside the Insurgency. London, Salem Road; I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd, 2006 1-33.