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- Al-Fatah
- aka: Al-'Asifa.
-
-
-
- Description
- Headed by Yasser Arafat, Fatah joined the PLO in 1968 and won the leadership
-
- role in 1969. Its commanders were expelled from Jordan following violent
- confrontations with Jordanian forces during the period 1970-71, beginning
- with Black September in 1970. The Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 led
- to the group's dispersal to several Middle Eastern countries, including
- Tunisia, Yemen, Algeria, Iraq, and others. Maintains several military and
- intelligence wings that have carried out terrorist attacks, including Force
- 17 and the Western Sector. Two of its leaders, Abu Jihad and Abu Iyad, were
- assassinated in recent years.
-
- Activities
- In the 1960s and the 1970s, Fatah offered training to a wide range of
- European, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African terrorist and insurgent groups.
- Carried out numerous acts of international terrorism in western Europe and
- the Middle East in the early-tomiddle 1970s. Arafat signed the Declaration
- of Principles (DOP) with Israel in 1993 and renounced terrorism and
- violence. There has been no authorized terrorist operation since that time.
-
- Strength
- 6,000 to 8,000
-
- Location/Area of Operation
- Headquartered in Tunisis, with bases in Lebanon and other Middle Eastern
- countries.
-
- External Aid
- Has had close political and financial ties to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and
- other moderate Gulf states. These relations were disrupted by the Gulf
- crisis of 1990-91. Also had links to Jordan. Received weapons, explosives,
- and training from the former USSR and the former Communist regimes of East
- European states. China and North Korea have reportedly provided some
- weapons.
-
-
-
- SELECTED INCIDENT CHRONOLOGY
-
- NOTE: MANY OF THE INCIDENTS RELATED BELOW WERE CARRIED OUT AND IN MANY CASES
- CLAIMED BY COVERT FATAH SURROGATES, SUCH AS BLACK SEPTEMBER, FORCE 17, THE
- HAWARI GROUP, ETC.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- MARCH, 1971:
- A FIVE MAN FATAH TEAM DESTROYED FUEL TANKS AT THE OIL DOCK
- FACILITIES IN ROTTERDAM.
-
- JULY, 1971:
- ATTACKED AN ALIA (ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES) OFFICE IN ROME.
-
- JULY, 1971:
- ATTACKED AN ALIA PLANE AT CAIRO.
-
- AUGUST, 1971:
- HIJACKED AN ALIA FLIGHT TO ALGERIA.
-
- SEPTEMBER, 1971:
- ATTEMPTED HIJACKING OF AN ALIA FLIGHT FROM BEIRUT TO CAIRO.
-
- NOVEMBER, 1971:
- ASSASSINATED THE JORDANIAN PRIME MINISTER, WASFI EL-TAL, IN CAIRO.
- CLAIMED BY BLACK SEPTEMBER.
-
- DECEMBER, 1971:
- ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF THE JORDANIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED
- KINGDOM IN LONDON.
-
- FEBRUARY, 1972:
- ASSASSINATED FIVE PALESTINIANS AND ONE JORDANIAN IN WEST GERMANY.
-
- MARCH, 1972:
- ATTEMPTED ATTACK AGAINST THE LONDON RESIDENCE OF JORDAN'S KING
- HUSSEIN.
-
- SEPTEMBER, 1972:
- EIGHT BLACK SEPTEMBER TERRORISTS SEIZED THE DORMITORY OF ISRAELI
- ATHLETES AT THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE IN MUNICH. WHEN THE INCIDENT WAS
- EVENTUALLY RESOLVED, ELEVEN ISRAELI ATHLETES AND COACHES WERE DEAD,
- A GERMAN POLICEMAN WAS DEAD, FIVE TERRORISTS HAD BEEN KILLED, AND
- THREE CAPTURED. THE ARRESTED TERRORISTS WERE SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASED
- BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY FOLLOWING A
- LUFTHANSA HIJACKING IN OCTOBER, 1972.
-
- SEPTEMBER, 1972:
- SENT LETTER BOMBS FROM AMSTERDAM TO ISRAEL AND TO ISRAELI
- EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES IN PARIS, GENEVA, MONTREAL, VIENNA,
- OTTAWA, BRUSSELS, KINSHASA, BUENOS AIRES, AND WASHINGTON.
-
- NOVEMBER, 1972:
- ASSASSINATED A SYRIAN JOURNALIST IN FRANCE.
-
- DECEMBER, 1972:
- CAPTURED THE ISRAELI EMBASSY IN BANGKOK. TERRORISTS HELD SIX
- EMPLOYEES HOSTAGE, BUT RELEASED THEM AFTER 19 HOURS.
-
- JANUARY, 1973:
- ATTACKED THE JEWISH AGENCY IN PARIS.
-
- MARCH, 1973:
- OCCUPIED THE SAUDI EMBASSY IN SUDAN. THREE WESTERN DIPLOMATS
- INCLUDING THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR, THE AMERICAN DEPUTY CHIEF OF
- MISSION, AND THE BELGIAN CHARGE, WERE MURDERED.
- SEPTEMBER, 1973:
- ATTEMPTED MISSILE ATTACK AGAINST AN EL AL AIRCRAFT IN ROME.
-
- SEPTEMBER, 1975:
- SEIZED AND OCCUPIED THE EGYPTIAN EMBASSY IN MADRID. THE TERRORISTS
- TOOK SIX DIPLOMATS HOSTAGE WHOM THEY THREATENED TO KILL UNLESS
- EGYPT WITHDREW FROM PEACE TALKS IN GENEVA AND CONDEMNED INTERIM
- AGREEMENTS WITH ISRAEL. THE TERRORISTS TOOK THEIR HOSTAGES TO
- ALGIERS, WHERE THEY WERE RELEASED.
-
- JULY, 1978:
- ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF THE IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED
- KINGDOM.
-
- AUGUST, 1978:
- ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF THE IRAQI CONSUL IN KARACHI.
-
- APRIL, 1985:
- THE COASTAL FREIGHTER "ATAVARIUS" WAS INTERCEPETED AND SUNK WHILE
- ATTEMPTING TO INFILTRATE A FATAH RAIDING PARTY INTO ISRAEL.
- TWENTY RAIDERS WERE KILLED AND EIGHT WERE CAPTURED.
-
- SEPTEMBER, 1985:
- FORCE 17 OPERATIVES SEIZED A PRIVATE PLEASURE BOAT IN LARNACA,
- CYPRUS, TOOK THREE ISRAELIS ON BOARD HOSTAGE, AND BEFORE
- SURRENDERING, MURDERED THEM.
-
- OCTOBER, 1985:
- FORCE 17 MURDERED TWO ISRAELI MERCHANT SEAMEN IN BARCELONA.
-
- FEBRUARY, 1986:
- FORCE 17 CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR A BUS BOMBING IN ISRAEL THAT
- WOUNDED SIX.
-
- JULY, 1986:
- FATAH OPERATIVES BELONGING TO THE HAWARI ORGANIZATION WERE
- ARRESTED IN MOROCCO WHILE PLANNING A TERRORIST OPERATION.
-
- SEPTEMBER, 1986:
- AN ISRAELI CITIZEN WAS STABBED TO DEATH IN A MARKET IN GAZA. FORCE
- 17 CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ATTACK.
-
- FEBRUARY, 1987:
- NINE PEOPLE WERE INJURED BY A BOMB ABOARD A BUS ENROUTE TO
- JERUSALEM FROM HAIFA. FORCE 17 CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY.
-
- JULY, 1987:
- FORCE 17 CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR A BUS BOMBING IN ISRAEL THAT
- INJURED TWO PEOPLE.
-
- JULY, 1987:
- AN ANTI-ARAFAT CARTOONIST WAS MURDERED IN LONDON. FORCE 17 HAS
- BEEN IMPLICATED IN THE ATTACK.
-
- MARCH, 1988:
- A BUS WAS HIJACKED BETWEEN BEERSHEBA AND DIMONA, ISRAEL. THREE
- PASSENGERS WERE KILLED BEFORE ISRAELI SECURITY FORCES STORMED THE
- BUS. FORCE 17 CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY.
-
- OCTOBER, 1990:
- THREE ISRAELIS WERE STABBED TO DEATH AND ONE WAS WOUNDED. PERSONS
- CLAIMING TO REPRESENT FORCE SEVENTEEN AS WELL AS THE PALESTINIAN
- ISLAMIC JIHAD CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- PLEASE NOTE THAT FURTHER INFORMATION ON FATAH TERRORIST OPERATIONS MAY BE
- FOUND IN THE PROFILES OF VARIOUS FATAH SURROGATES SUCH AS FORCE 17.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE ABOVE INFORMATION WAS DERIVED FROM MULTIPLE STATE DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT
- OF DEFENSE, AND PUBLIC MEDIA SOURCE DOCUMENTS.
-
-