The Military Balance

ISSN: 0459-7222 (Print) 1479-9022 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tmib20

Chapter Eleven: Non-State Groups and Affiliates

To cite this article: (2012) Chapter Eleven: Non-State Groups and Affiliates, The Military Balance,
112:1, 477-484, DOI: 10.1080/04597222.2012.663221

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Published online: 07 Mar 2012.

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Country of Organisation Est. Active in Organisation; training; weapons
Origin Strength
Europe
RUS Chechen rebels/Northern 2,000– Chechnya, Organisation: Doku Umarov, the self-appointed ‘emir’ of Russia’s North Caucasus, is the most prominent
Caucasus Insurgency 3,000 Dagestan Chechen leader. He has control over a suicide-bombing unit known as the Riyadus Salikhin Martyrs’ Brigade.
Other groups with ties to Umarov include the Ingush Jamaat and Shariat Jamaat. Training: Senior leaders
attended training camps during the Afghan–Soviet war. Weapons: SALW, MANPADs, IEDs, suicide bombs;
attempted acquisition of CBRN
TUR/IRQ Partiya Karkaren Kurdistan 4,000– TUR, IRQ (north), Organisation: Originally led by Abdullah Ocalan, and seeking to create a separate Kurdish state, the PKK
(PKK)/Kurdish Worker’s Party/ 5,000 IRN (north), SYR now limits its ambitions to calling for greater Kurdish autonomy. It has links with Kurds in northern Iraq
People’s Congress of Kurdistan where some PKK members are based. Training: First camp established in Bekaa Valley in 1982 with PLO
(Kongra-Gel) and Syrian support. Believed to run military training camps in TUR, IRQ, BEL, GRC, GER, ITA,NLD, SWE, FRA.
Weapons: SALW, MANPADs, IEDs, RL, suicide bombs, mines, alleged chemical weapons
Central and South Asia
AFG Afghan Taliban c30,000 AFG, PAK Organisation: Emerging in Kandahar in the mid-1980s to become the strict Sharia rulers of Afghanistan
from 1996 to 2001, these fundamentalist Islamists are now led by Mullah Mohammed Omar from a hideout
in Pakistan. He heads the so-called ‘Quetta Shura’, which directs the military campaign against Western
troops in Afghanistan from the capital of Pakistani Baluchistan (and nearby locations). Weapons: SALW,
MANPATS arty (mor), IEDs, suicide attacks, explosives
AFG/PAK Al-Qaeda 500–1,000 Worldwide Organisation: International terrorist network led by Osama bin Laden until his death in Pakistan on
Table 42 Non-State Groups and Affiliates

2 May 2011. Dr Ayman Al-Zawahiri took over as leader; he is also thought to be in Pakistan. Junior members
are believed to hide in Pakistan’s tribal areas, where they are constantly targeted by US UAVs. AQ has cells
worldwide and provides a rallying point for other global jihadis. Training: Before the 2001 US invasion, AQ
openly operated training camps in Afghanistan (and Pakistan), also inviting foreigners. The group has kept a
low profile since, generally helping to plan other terrorist groups’ operations. Weapons: SALW, IEDs, mines
AFG Hizb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) 5,000– AFG, PAK Organisation: This faction of the Hizb-e-Islami party is led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who promotes an
7,000 extreme anti-Western ideology and aims to overthrow the current Afghan administration in favour of an
Islamic state. Among the most effective Mujahadeen to fight against the Soviet occuption of Afghanistan,
HIG has connections with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Weapons: SALW, rockets, IEDs, mines
PAK/ Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT)/Jamaat- 2,000+ PAK (Muridke, Organisation: LeT is the military wing of a Punjab-based political organisation commanded by Hafiz
AFG (Kunar) ud-Dawa (JuD) fighters in Lahore), IND Muhammad Saeed. Originally fighting against Indian control of Kashmir, it is blamed for several deadly
J&K, JuD (Jammu & attacks in India, including the 2008 mass shootings in Mumbai and a 2005 bomb attack in Delhi. Although
ca 150,000 Kashmir), AFG banned by Islamabad in 2002, it continues to operate from Pakistani soil. It has close ties with al-Qaeda,
members LKA, NPL, OMA, whose movement into Pakistan it is thought to have facilitated. Training: Operates 12 militant training
Maldives, BGD, US camps and 31 ‘communication control stations’. Weapons: SALW, MANPATS, arty (mor), explosives, mines
PAK (FATA Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)/ 20,000– PAK (FATA Organisation: The TTP is an umbrella organisation claiming to represent 40 Pakistani Taliban groups from
& KP) Pakistani Taliban 25,000 and Khyber all seven tribal areas of FATA and several Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts. It operates out of FATA with a
Pakhtunkhwa), stronghold in South Waziristan, and has close links with al-Qaeda, while offering allegiance to the Afghan
AFG, Middle East Taliban’s Mullah Omar. The TTP’s current leader is Hakimullah Mehsud, who controls the groups operating
and Chechnya out of FATA. TTP fighters operate in groups of 4–15 and use classic guerrilla tactics: sniper fire, roadside
bombs and ambushes. Training: Most TTP members are trained in explosives handling in South Waziristan.
Weapons: SALW, RL, IEDs, suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (SVBIEDs), mines
AFG/PAK Haqqani Network 5,000– AFG, PAK ( North Organisation: Based in Miranshah, North Waziristan, and led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, this group is thought
7,000 Waziristan) to be behind many high-profile attacks in Afghanistan in recent years: from the attempted assassination of
President Hamid Karzai, the Kabul Serena Hotel attack and assault on the Indian embassy in 2008, to the
Non-State Groups and Affiliates

2009 siege of a UN guesthouse and 2011 rocket attack on the US embassy. Alleged to have close ties with
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, the network also has connections with Arab fighters, its
main financiers. Training: Al-Qaeda and other groups still provide suicide training. The network previously
477

set up training camps and bomb-making factories in North Waziristan. Weapons: SALW, IEDs, MANPATS
Country of Organisation Est. Active in Organisation; training; weapons
478

Origin Strength
PAK Harkat ul-Mujahedin (HuM) 400 PAK (Muzaffara- Organisation: The radical Islamist ‘Movement of Holy Warriors’ seeks to install Pakistani rule in Indian-
bad, Rawalpindi), controlled Kashmir, where it focuses its operations. Its methods include hijacking, as well as the kidnap and
AFG, IND (south execution of foreigners and Indian officials. US interests are also considered legitimate targets. A breakaway
Kashmir and from Harkat ul-Jihad-e-Islami, HuM was also once known as Harkat-ul-Ansar. It was involved in forming
Doda regions) Jaysh-e-Mohammad (see below). Training: HuM had training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan before
2001. The group has allegedly been trained by Pakistan’s ISI. Weapons: SALW, arty (mor, rockets), explosives
IND Communist Party of India– 20,000+ IND Organisation: Agitating for the rights of India’s landless poor, the Naxal movement harks back to a peasant
Maoist (CPI–Maoist)/Naxalites uprising in West Bengal in 1967. But violence surged after 2004 when a merger of the People’s War Group
and Maoist Communist Centre formed the the CPI–Maoist. In 2007, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called
the group ‘India’s biggest internal security threat’. Muppaala Lakshmana Rao (‘Ganapati’) is current general
secretary. Training: Guerrilla warfare training in remote villages and forests. Weapons: SALW, mines, IEDs
IND United Liberation Front of Asom 3,000 IND (Assam) Organisation: Although the most sophisticated insurgent group in Assam, the ULFA has been weakened
The Military Balance 2012

(ULFA)
IND/PAK Jaysh-e-Mohammad (JeM)/
Army of Mohammad/Khudam-
ul-Islam/Tehrik-ul-Furqaan/JeM
Eastern Command
by counter-insurgency offensives, internal splits and declining popular support. Founder and current leader
Paresh Baruah lives near the Sino-Burmese border. Several militants are believed to be in China’s Yunnan
province and in Bangladesh. Weapons: SALW, arty, vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs)
500–700 IND (Jammu & Organisation: JeM’s founding aim was to overthrow Indian rule in Kashmir, but it is now in active opposition
Kashmir) PAK, to the Pakistani state. Led by Mufti Adbul Rauf, it has ties with the Taliban and al-Qaeda. JEM was involved in
AFG, BGD attacks on former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Training: JeM allegedly received training from the
ISI. Weapons: SALW, MANPATS, IEDs
Table 42 Non-State Groups and Affiliates

PAK Muqami Tehrik-e-Taliban (MTT)/ 13,000
Local Taliban Movement/
North Waziristan Taliban/Waziri
Alliance
PAK Baluch Liberation Army (BLA)
PAK Baluch Republican Army (BRA)
PAK Baluch Liberation United Front
(BLUF)
PAK Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ)
PAK Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP)/
Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan/
Army of Prophet Mohammad’s
companions/Ahle Sunnat Wal
Jamaat
PAK (North & Organisation: Maulvi Nazir and Hafiz Gul Bahadar created the MTT in 2008 as a distinct local group from
South Waziristan, the TTP. Having ties with the Afghan Taliban, Haqqani Network, al-Qaeda and the TTP, it operates under
other parts of the general Taliban banner from the FATA region. Training: Training and support from al-Qaeda, and the
FATA) Haqqani Network in the Waziristan region. Weapons: SALW, MANPATS, IEDs
3,000+ PAK, AFG Organisation: Integrated unwillingly into Pakistan in 1947, ethnic Baluch are waging their fifth revolt against
Islamabad. The BLA emerged in 2000, five years before the latest round of serious fighting began, with the
stated aim of founding an independent pan-Baluch state across Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The death of
leader Akbar Khan Bugti, a 79-year-old Bugti tribal chief and former Baluchistan chief minister, in a Pakistani
air strike in 2006 only worsened the violence. Bugti’s son became commander. Training: Some allege the
BLA is trained in Afghanistan by Indian intelligence agents. Weapons: SALW, MANPATS, AT mines, IEDs
not PAK Organisation: Little is known about this group, which first came to public attention in 2007, although it
known maintains a website on which it regularly catalogues attacks on security forces and Baluchistan’s extensive
gas industry.
not PAK Organisation: This previously unknown group made news in 2009 when it kidnapped United Nations official
known John Solecki, an American citizen, in Quetta.
300 PAK (Peshawar, Organisation: LeJ was formed in 1996 when Riaz Basra and Akram Lahori broke away from Sipah-e-Sahaba
Rawalpindi, (see following entry), which they accused of deviating from its founding goal of countering Shia influence in
Karachi), IRN; Pakistan. Since then LeJ has gained a reputation for extreme violence: killing hundreds of Shias, perpetrating
sleeper cells in car and truck bombings, and attempting high-profile assassinations. The group has small independent
AUS, FRA, IND, cells of 5–8 fighters each. Training: LeJ’s training camp in Sarobi, Afghanistan, was destroyed after the US
SGP, UK, US invasion in October 2001. Pakistani camps in Muridke and Kabirwal have also been closed. Weapons: SALW
3,000– PAK (southern Organisation: This Sunni group was founded in the early 1980s on a platform of limiting Shia influence
6,000 Punjab, Karachi); in Pakistan after the Islamic Revolution in neighbouring Iran in 1979. Formerly registered as a Pakistani
transnational political party, SSP was banned in 2002, after which it adopted the name Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat. The group
is believed to provide fighters to the TTP and to have ties with al-Qaeda. Training: Many SSP cadres have
received arms training from the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) and the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Some are also reported to have been trained by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies. Weapons: SALW, IEDs
Country of Organisation Est. Active in Organisation; training; weapons
Origin Strength
PAK Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI)/Jaysh-e- not PAK (Khyber Organisation: One of the constituent groups of the TTP, LeI is mainly concerned with the implementation
Islami (JI) known Agency) of Sharia law in the Khyber Agency of FATA, where it has established its own de facto administration in areas
around Bara, Jamrud and the Tirah Valley. It also sends fighters across the border to battle US and Afghan
forces. Founded in 2004 by Mufti Munir Shakir, it is now headed by Mangal Bagh and is sometimes known as
Jaysh-e-Islami. Training: Trains with TTP in FATA. Weapons: SALW, IEDs
UZB Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan 1,200 ARG, PRC, IRN, Organisation: This is a coalition of Islamic extremists from Uzbekistan, other Central Asian states and Europe,
(IMU)/Islamic Movement of KAZ, KGZ, PAK, whose goal is to overthrow the Uzbek regime and establish an Islamic state. It has strong relations with the
Turkestan (IMT) TAJ, UZB Afghan Taliban and the TTP. Training: IMU members have received training in camps in Afghanistan, some
controlled by al-Qaeda or the Taliban. The IMU also trains in camps in Pakistan and maintains bases in North
Waziristan. Weapons: SALW, IEDs, VBIEDs
South East Asia
IDN Organisasi Papua Merdeka 150 IDN Organisation: The Tentara Pembebasan Nasional (TPN) is the group’s military wing, currently headed by
(OPM)/Free Papua Movement Jeck Kemong. Training: Provided by Libya (formerly) and the NPA (Philippines). Weapons: SALW
MYA Karen National Liberation Army 1,200 MYA, THA (border Organisation: The KNLA is the military branch of the Karen National Union (KNU), which represents the
(KNLA) region) approximately 7m Karen people of Myanmar and whose current goal is autonomy in a federal Myanmar. The
KNLA started fighting the Burmese state in 1949. KNLA commander General Mu Tu Sae Po was among the
KNU representatives signing a peace deal for Karen State in early 2012, potentially ending one of the world’s
longest internal conflicts. However, many ethnic Karen live outside Karen State, so the possibility of further
violence remains. Training: Month-long basic programme teaches weapons handling, guerrilla tactics, basic
Table 42 Non-State Groups and Affiliates

political concepts and military discipline. Weapons: SALW, MANPATS, IEDs

MYA Shan State Army–South (SSA-S)/ 3,000 MYA (Shan State) Organisation: Long after the original Shan State Army signed a ceasefire with the government in 1989,
Shan United Revolutionary the SSA–S continued to fight for autonomy for Myanmar’s 6m or more Shan people. Some SURA fighters
Army (SURA) joined it from the mid-1990s. In Spring 2011, Commander-in-Chief Yewd Serk announced a merger of the
SSA–South and SSA–North into a single SSA. Later that year, the SSA–S finally joined the groups on ceasefire.
Training: The Communist Party of Burma, before it collapsed in 1989, was the main source of arms and
ammunition. Weapons: SALW, MANPATS
MYA Kachin Independence Army 8,000 MYA (Kachin Organisation: The armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), fighting for ethnic Kachin
(KIA) State) autonomy, signed a ceasefire deal in 1994. However, new fighting erupted in Kachin State in mid-2011,
over government plans to build a huge dam that would have flooded villages and displaced thousands.
Naypyidaw cancelled the dam and made peace overtures in the latter half of the year. Weapons: SALW
PHL Moro Islamic Liberation Front 10,000+ PHL (Mindanao Organisation: Despite a 2001 ceasefire, the largest Muslim rebel group in the southern Philippines has
(MILF) and adjacent continued to attack military and civilian targets in its quest for greater independence for the country’s
islands) Bangsamoro people. It has been blamed for an airport bombing, beheading and ambushing troops,
prompting calls for a review of its ceasefire in October 2011. MILF Commander-in-Chief Murad Ebrahim
oversees 11 functional commissions and five regional fronts, with 15–19 base commands. An elite
force, consisting of five units of about ten men each, is led by Mohammad Nasif Dua. On occasion, MILF
collaborates with the NPA in Mindanao. Training: Allegedly provided by al-Qaeda, although MILF denies
this. Weapons: SALW, IEDs, MANPATS, MANPADS (alleged)
PHL New People’s Army (NPA) 4,700 PHL Organisation: The armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the National
Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) has waged a ‘people’s war’ since 1969. It operates across almost
every province and despite government efforts to destroy it continues to find a constituency among the
many Filipinos lIving in poverty. Organised into fronts, Regular Mobile Forces (RPM) and Mobile Armed
Propaganda Units (SYP). SYP consists of 10–15 members; an RPM can consist of 50–70 fighters. Moderate
sources estimate the number of fronts at around 60. Weapons: SALW, arty (mor), IEDs, mines
Non-State Groups and Affiliates
479
Country of Organisation
Origin
PHL Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)
THA/MAL Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN)
THA Pattani Islamic Mujahideen 150
Movement/Gerakan Mujahideen
Islam Pattani (GMIP)
THA, SAU Pattani United Liberation
Organisation (PULO)
THA Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK)
Middle East and North Africa
ALG Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb 300
(AQIM)
IRN Jundallah (Soldiers of God)/
Jund Allah/Jundollah/People’s
Resistance Movement of Iran
(PRMI)
IRQ Al-Qaeda in Iraq/Tanzim Qa’idat
al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn/
Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Two
Rivers.
Est. Active in Organisation; training; weapons
480
Strength
350–400 PHL (south) Organisation: Extortion and kidnap-for-ransom are trademark activities of this loosely based, clan-centred
group. However, its stated goal is an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines, and US military
personnel are a favourite target. In 2004, it was responsible for the deadliest terrorist act in Philippines
history: a ferry bombing near Manila in which 116 were killed. After key jihadis were expelled from Mindanao
in 2005, ASG’s main presence has been on the Sulu Archipelago. Training: Early ASG members are thought
to have trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, although links between the two diminished after 9/11.
Weapons: SALW, IEDs, arty (mor), explosives
60–80 THA (south), MAL Organisation: One of the insurgent groups lobbying for independence for the predominantly Malay Muslim
provinces of Thailand’s south, especially Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. (Songkhla is less and Satun is not
affected by insurgency.) BRN Coordinate is the political wing in Malaysia; BRN Congress, chaired by Rosa
Burako, runs the Thai military campaign. Weapons: SALW
THA (south) Organisation: Reports suggest that this group is now part of PULO (see following entry)
The Military Balance 2012
100 THA Organisation: The main separatist movement in Thailand’s predominantly Malay Muslim southern border
region, PULO targets symbols and officials of the government in Bangkok – from military police to teachers
and civil servants. Officially founded in Saudi Arabia in 1968, the group split into factions before reunifying in
2005. Since 2009, PULO has been led by Nur Abdur Rahman. Training: Some leaders were reportedly trained
in Syria and Libya in the 1980s. Weapons: SALW, IEDs, possibly bombs
Table 42 Non-State Groups and Affiliates
500 THA (south) Organisation: Closely cooperating with PULO and BRN are RKK (small patrol groups). Training: Weapons-
handling, bomb making, unarmed combat and sharp shooting. Weapons: SALW, MANPATS, IEDs
ALG, MLI, MRT, Organisation: AQIM resulted from the decision by the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) to
NER align itself with al-Qaeda in late 2006/early 2007. The group operates and recruits throughout the Maghreb.
It has been implicated in drugs running and kidnapping, and its presence prompted the relocation of the
Dakar Rally to South America. Abu Musab Adbel is the group’s current leader. AQIM is accused of establishing
terrorist cells in FRA, ITA, NLD, POR, ESP. Training: Most main leaders are believed to have trained in AQ
camps in Afghanistan. Weapons: SALW, arty (mor), SAM, IEDs, AAA
≤600 IRN (Baluchistan), Organisation: Based in Iran’s impoverished southeast province of Sistan and Baluchistan, this group claims
(1,000 AFG, PAK to fight for the rights of the Sunni Baluch people in the Shia-dominated Islamic Republic. It has been
fighters) accused of shootings, suicide bombings and narco-trafficking and having a separatist agenda for Sistan and
Baluchistan. Muhammad Dharir Baluch became leader in October 2011. Training: Some members received
training in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where there are other Baluch communities. Weapons: SALW, IEDs
1,000+ IRQ, JOR Organisation: This mainly Sunni organisation based around the city of Mosul emerged out of the Ansar-e-
(AQI) Islam terrorist group around 2003/4. Under leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, it conducted major attacks against
1,000+ Shia civilians and holy sites. After he was killed in 2006, AQI created an umbrella Mujahideen Shura Council
(Islamic (MSC) to unify Sunni insurgents, but this did not prevent offshoots such as the Islamic State of Iraq, Islamic
State of Army of Iraq and 1920 Revolution Brigades. Meanwhile, Sunni tribal leaders began to cooperate with the
Iraq) US against AQI, leading to the Sunni Awakening. By 2010, 80% of AQI leaders had been killed or captured,
or had left Iraq. Abu Dua became chief of the disorganised, albeit active rump in 2011. Training: Reports
suggest AQI has new training bases on the desert border with Syria. Weapons: SALW, IEDs, MANPADs
Country of Organisation Est. Active in Organisation; training; weapons
Origin Strength
LEB Hizbollah/Party of God/Islamic 6,000 LEB (southern Organisation: Founded with Iranian backing to resist the 1982 Israeli occupation of Lebanon, this mainly
Jihad/ Revolutionary Justice (standing Lebanon, Beirut, Shia Muslim organisation has moved into democratic politics without dismantling its large and controversial
Organisation/Organisation of force) + Bekaa Valley), military wing, al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya. The clout the party now wields in Lebanon’s multi-confessional
the Oppressed on Earth 10,000 EGY, ARG, BRZ, parliament has helped it resist demands to disarm, including those in UN resolutions 1559 and 1701. The
(reserve PRY, COL US brands Hizbullah a terrorist organisation. The group perpetrated some of the bloodiest attacks of the
force) Lebanese civil war (1975–90) and it has been implicated in the 2005 assassination of pro-Western Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri. (It denies involvement.) However, its role in forcing Israel to leave Lebanon in 2000 and
its social-services provision mean it enjoys much popular support, even if its responsibility for Lebanon’s
2006 war with Israel tested this. Although considered an extremist by his critics, leader Hasan Nasrullah has
become extremely influential. Training: Receives military training, weapons and funds from Iran, especially
from the al-Quds Brigades, an elite unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Political support comes
from Syria. For its part, Hizbullah backs Palestinian terror groups. Also adept at information warfare, it has
associates and cells in North and South America, Asia, Europe and Africa. Weapons: SALW; MANPADs:
SA-7 Grail, SA-14 Gremlin, SA-18 Grouse (unconfirmed), being trained on SA-8 systems in Syria, but not yet
transferred to Lebanon; RL >10,000 Katyusha, Fajr-3, Fajr-5 Zelzal-2s, potentially Fateh-110s and 10 (est.) Scud
D missiles; Arty (ZU-23, Iranian-made C802 Noor radar-guided anti-ship missiles, Raad 2 and 3 models (used
against Haifa), M-600 rockets, mortars (81mm and 120mm), MANPATS AT-3 Sagger and AT-4 Spigot missiles
Saudi Arabia, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian 100–400 YEM (esp. in Organisation: In early 2009, al-Qaeda announced this merger of its Yemeni and Saudi Arabian branches.
Yemen Peninsula (AQAP) core (est. Abyan, Aden, The group has since perpetrated suicide bombings and guerrilla-style raids on military and security targets
up to 600) Al-Hudaydah, to achieve its objective of clearing the Arabian Peninsula of foreign influence and establishing an Islamic
Table 42 Non-State Groups and Affiliates

Hadramaut, caliphate. Before he was killed by a UAV strike in September 2011, prominent AQAP leader Anwar al-Awlaki
Mahrib, Shabwa) inspired attacks overseas, including the mass shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Texas, and the
SAU, QAT, SOM attempted Christmas Day bombing of an airliner over Detroit, both in 2009. Weapons: SALW, MANPATS, IEDs
YEM, SAU Al-Houthi Rebels/Shabab al- 7,000– YEM (north) and Organisation: Yemen’s fight against the al-Houthi clan and its militant wing, the ‘Believing Youth’, began in
Muomineen (Believing Youth) 10,000 SAU (south) 2004 when arresting officers killed former MP Hussein al-Houthi, an outspoken critic of US involvement in
fighters, Yemen. The fallout from his death sparked a full-scale insurgency. Despite two ceasefires, the Houthis were
10,000– still inflicting mass casualties on security forces in late 2010. But in early 2012 they formed a political party,
120,000 seeking participation in the changes wrought by the Arab Awakening. Training: Hizbullah has provided
followers training. No independent evidence exists of alleged Iranian instruction. Weapons: SALW, MANPATS, IEDs
YEM Southern secessionist not YEM Organisation: The independence movement in the former People’s Democratic Republic of South Yemen
movement known is driven by southerners’ belief that they have become second-class citizens in a unified Yemen. Weapons:
SALW, RPGs
PT Hamas (Islamic Resistance 20,000 ISR, PT Organisation: The largest Palestinian militant Islamist group, Hamas was formed in 1987 at the start of
Movement)/Izz al-Din al-Qassam the first intifada (uprising) against Israel’s occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. Dedicated to Israel’s
Brigades (IDQ) destruction, it has been designated a terrorist group by the US and EU. But many Palestinians view it as
a legitimate resistance, and in 2006 it won Palestinian parliamentary elections, leading to negotiations
with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) over a unity government. In 2007, though, Hamas overthrew
the PA in Gaza and seized control of the strip. Even after Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in 2008/2009, Hamas
has continued to fire rockets at Israel from Gaza. Its military wing, Iz al-Din al-Qassam, is seen as its most
disciplined force. In early 2012, the group’s Damascus-based leader, Khaled Meshal, stepped down after
16 years at the helm. Training: Palestinian sources say Iz al-Din troops undergo rigorous military and
ideological training. Six months of basic training include live-fire exercises using arty rockets, mortars and
AT systems, plus urban-warfare training and live-fire FIBUA assault exercises. Some instructors trained in Iran
and Lebanon. Weapons: SALW, IEDs, MANPADS, MANPATs, arty rockets
PT Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (AMB) several ISR, PT Organisation: This network of Palestinian militant groups emerged in 2000 at the outset of the second
Non-State Groups and Affiliates

hundred Palestinian ‘Al-Aqsa’ intifada. Loyal to the secular-nationalist Fatah party, it first focused on Israeli targets
in the West Bank and Gaza, but became more radical over time. In 2004, it threatened to break with Fatah
during a payments dispute. Marwan Baghouti leads the AMB. Weapons: SALW, IEDs, suicide bombs
481
Country of Organisation Est. Active in Organisation; training; weapons
482

Origin Strength
Latin America
BRZ Primeiro Comando da Capital 12,000+ BRZ (São Paulo) Organisation: This criminal group relies on a vast prison network of cells with connections in the favelas
(PCC) (slums). Training: Includes urban guerrilla. Weapons: SALW.
BRZ Comando Vermelho (CV)/Red not BRZ (Rio de Organisation: The CV has become an umbrella group for semi-autonomous criminal gangs headed by
Commandos known Janeiro) individual chiefs. CV was originally composed of ordinary convicts and left-wing political prisoners who were
members of the Falange Vermelha (Red Phalanx), and fought the military dictatorship. CV dominates 40% of
Brazilian drug trafficking. Training: Includes urban guerrilla techniques. Weapons: SALW
COL Ejército de Liberación Nacional 1,300+ COL (Northeast Organisation: Founded in 1963, the ELN is a left-wing guerrilla group that mainly operates in northeastern
(ELN)/National Liberation Army and Southwest) Colombia. It reached the height of its power in the late 1990s with a wave of kidnappings and bomb attacks,
but has since been weakened by the government’s security crackdown, battles with right-wing paramilitaries
and competition with FARC. It is increasingly reliant on drug trafficking for its income. It is headed by Nicolás
The Military Balance 2012

COL Fuerzas Armadas
Revolucionarias de Colombia
(FARC)/Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia
Rodríguez Bautista (‘Gabino’). Training: Members received training on how to use explosives, mines, sniper,
special operations and guerrilla combat. Weapons: IEDs, SALW, mines
9,000+ COL; presence in Organisation: Originally established as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, and then
ECU, VEN a left-wing insurgency, FARC today is better known as a drug-trafficking and criminal group. It has an
extensive civilian support network and enjoys complex business relationships with other drug trafficking
and criminal gangs. It makes frequent use of the territory of neighbouring countries and maintains relations
with a range of international non-state and sometimes state actors. Apart from a number of mobile
columns, FARC’s basic unit is the ‘front’, a tactical grouping of 50–300 operatives (roughly equivalent to a
Table 42 Non-State Groups and Affiliates

Western light infantry company) linked to a fixed area and comprised of squads (12 operatives), guerrillas
(2 squads) and companies (about 50 operatives). Overall 60–70 of these currently exist, although some are
now undermanned. All of the columns and fronts across the country are organised in five blocs and two
joint commands. The leadership of the group as a whole is comprised by a seven-man Secretariat, with each
member exercising supervision of a particular bloc or joint command, and a Central General Staff (the Estado
Mayor Central or EMC). The EMC theoretically comprises the highest decision-making body at conferences
and plenaries, but the Secretariat is in charge of the group in between these events (which now rarely take
place) and in practice holds supreme authority. Training: all operatives given basic training in explosives
and guerrilla warfare. Special units trained in kidnapping, advanced bomb-making, sniping, intelligence-
gathering. Long history of technical exchange with foreign terrorist organisations including PIRA and
ETA. Weapons: SALW, IEDs and mines, artisanal arty, self-propelled semi-submersible vessels for maritime
trafficking
COL Bandas emergentes en 4,000+ COL Organisation: BACRIM is a label for medium to large criminal gangs bringing together drug traffickers with
Colombia/Bandas Criminales former members of right-wing paramilitaries such as the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC).
(BACRIM) Two of the most powerful BACRIM are the Rastrojos (estimated membership of 2,000) and the Urabeños
(about 1,300 strong). Training: Members receive training in explosives, special operations and anti-guerrilla
combat. Weapons: IEDs, SALW
MEX Sinaloa Cartel not MEX (Sinaloa, Organisation: Arising from a region where peasant farmers turned to lucrative opium crops, the Sinaloa
known Sonora, Baja Cartel remains Mexico’s most powerful and cohesive drugs cartel. Cells have been deployed in the US,
California), COL, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and more recently Colombia and Peru. In the first half of 2011, three key
NIC, PER, SLV, US leaders were captured or killed: Jesus Raul Ochoa, Bruno (‘El Gato’ ) Garcia and Martin (‘El Aguila’) Beltran.
However, leader Joaquin (‘El Chapo’) Guzman Loera remains at large. Weapons: SALW
MEX Gulf Cartel not MEX, BOL, COL, Organisation: One of the oldest and most powerful of Mexico’s criminal groups, working with Colombian
known PER, US, West suppliers to move drugs north from its main base in Tamaulipas state, this cartel has been losing territory
Africa and influence recently. In May 2011, leader Garcia (‘El Choche’) Trujillo was captured. Weapons: SALW.
MEX Los Negros not MEX Formed in 2003 as the armed enforcers of the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Negros switched its alliance to the Beltrán-
known Leyva Cartel, before going independent in 2010. Weapons: SALW
Country of Organisation Est. Active in Organisation; training; weapons
Origin Strength
MEX Los Zetas not MEX (northeast), Organisation: Los Zetas initially consisted of 30–40 elite soldiers who had deserted from the army’s Special
known US Forces Airmobile Group (GAFE). In 2005 members of the Guatemalan Special Forces (Kaibiles) joined their
ranks. Training: Military and special forces training. Weapons: SALW
MEX Tijuana Cartel/Arellano-Félix not COL, PER, MEX, Organisation: The Arellano-Félix brothers and followers broke away from the Sinaloa Cartel in the 1980s and
Organisation known US consolidated power around the biggest border crossing into the US. Weapons: SALW
MEX Juárez Cartel/ Vicente Carrillo not MEX, US Organisation: Another Sinaloa Cartel splinter group, this has helped turn its hometown, Ciudad Juárez, into
Fuentes Organisation known Mexico’s most dangerous city, during its battle with Los Zetas for control of the primary drug routes into the
US. Its armed branch is called La Linea. Weapons: SALW
MEX Beltrán-Leyva Organisation not MEX, US Organisation: The powerful Beltrán-Leyva brothers unleashed a bloody turf war when they left the Sinaloa
(BLO)/South Pacific Cartel (Cartel known Cartel in 2008. Now the BLO is struggling after the death of Arturo Beltrán-Leyva in 2009, and the 2011
del Pacifico) capture of leading operatives such as Edgar Valdez Villareal (‘La Barbie’) and Sergio Villareal Barragán,
(‘El Grande’). The group does, however, have loose connections to the emerging Independent Cartel of
Acapulco. Weapons: SALW
MEX La Familia Michoacana/ The not MEX, US Organisation: This cartel emerged in 2006 in the state of Michoacán, home to Mexico’s largest port, where
Family known drugs smuggled from China are processed into methamphetamines. Leader José de Jesús Méndez Vargas
(‘El Chango’) was captured in June 2011, just three months after a splinter group, the Knights Templar (Los
Caballeros Templarios), broke away. Weapons: SALW
PER Sendero Luminoso (SL)/Shining 500+ PER Organisation: The communist Shining Path movement resurfaced in 2008 in the Andes, eight years after
Path its war with the Peruvian government effectively ended. Two factions – one operating in the Ene-Apurimac
Table 42 Non-State Groups and Affiliates

River Valley (VRAE) to the south, and the other in Alto Huallaga to the north – used profits from the cocaine
trade to rebuild. However, in December 2011 Comrade Artemio, the northern group’s leader, admitted defeat
and said he was ready to begin peace talks with the government. Weapons: SALW, MANPATS
Sub-Saharan Africa
DRC/RWA Forces Démocratiques de 8,000+ DRC (North Organisation: These Rwandan Hutu fighters are remnants of the ‘Interahamwe’ militias that targeted Tutsis
Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) and South Kivu, and moderate Hutus during the 1994 Rwandan genocide: they fled to the DRC after Tutsis came to power
Katanga) in Kigali at the end of that conflict. Today, the FDLR’s official aim is to unseat the Tutsi-led government in
neighbouring Rwanda. However, it also preys on Congolese civilians and has close links with Mai Mai militias
. Training: Some received training in Rwanda before they were forced to leave. Weapons: SALW
DRC/RWA Mai-Mai militias 20,000+ DRC, RWA Organisation: This loose confederation of militias operating in the DRC includes such groups as the Alliance
pour la Resistance Democratique (ARD), the Popular Self-Defence Forces (FAP) and Mudundu 40. Weapons:
SALW
NGA Movement for the Emancipation 1,600 NGA (Niger Delta) Organisation: This loose coalition of armed groups emerged in 2006 demanding that more of the wealth
of the Niger Delta (MEND) generated by the Niger Delta’s oil industry go to local people. While an amnesty for its top leaders in
2009 led to a substantial decline in its activities, MEND-affiliated groups have since resumed bombing oil
infrastructure and kidnapping workers in the industry. Weapons: SALW, AAA, VBIEDs
NGA Boko Haram not NGA (northern Organisation: These militants from Nigeria’s impoverished Muslim north have called for the establishment
known and central of Sharia law and led a revolt against the government’s perceived southern bias and repressive security
states) forces. Although established in 2002, the group only began its violent campaign in 2009. A series of
killings and spectacular bomb attacks led President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a state of emergency in
December 2011. Training: Some training alleged at camps in Burkina Faso, Niger and Somalia by al-Qaeda
sympathisers. Weapons: SALW, IEDs, suicide bombs
Non-State Groups and Affiliates
483
Country of Organisation Est. Active in Organisation; training; weapons
484

Origin Strength
SOM Al-Shabaab (AS)/Mujahideen 7,000– SOM (particularly Organisation: Al-Shabaab, meaning ‘the youth’ emerged out of the Islamic Courts Union towards the end of
Youth Movement (MYM) Hizbul 9,000 Mogadishu the last decade and now controls much of southern Somalia. Initially, this Islamist militant group focused on
Shabaab (The Youth) and southern its domestic struggle with Somalia’s weak, Western-backed interim government. However, in 2009 it began
Somalia), KEN to align itself with al-Qaeda. In July 2010, the group showed that it could strike abroad with twin bombings
in Uganda. More recently it has been linked to the pirate groups operating off Somalia’s coastline. Training:
Al-Qaeda allegedly provide training and equipment. Pirate groups active in Somalia also provide access to
weaponry and training. Weapons: SALW, MANPATS, mines, IEDs, MANPADS, arty, small boats
SOM Somali Marines not SOM Training: Believed provided by al-Shabaab. Weapons: SALW, MANPADS, IEDs, arty, MANPATS, mines and
known other explosives
SOM Puntland Group not SOM (Puntland) Organisation: Loose organisation ostentibly of Somali fishermen. Training: Believed provided by al-
known Shabaab. Weapons: SALW, IEDs, arty, MANPATS, mines and other explosives
The Military Balance 2012

SOM Marka Pirate Group
SOM National Volunteer Coast Guard
(NVCG)/Kismaayo pirate group
not SOM (Marka) Organisation: Led by Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad. Consists of several scattered, ill-organised groups.
known Training: Believed provided by al-Shabaab. Weapons: SALW, MANPADS, MANPATS, IEDs, arty, mines and
other explosives
50+ SOM (Kismaayo, Organisation: Bases in Hoomboy and El Dere. Believed to have close alliance with al-Shabaab and generally
Puntland, operate as security units (28 pers) and attack units (12 pers). Training: Al-Shabaab and other foreign
Somaliland), KEN instructors may be providing combat training to the group. Weapons: SALW, MANPADs, MANPATS, IEDs, arty,
small boats, mines and other explosives
Table 42 Non-State Groups and Affiliates

SOM Harardheere pirate group 50+ SOM Weapons: SALW, MANPADS, MANPATS, IEDs, arty, small boats, mines and other explosives
(Harardheere)
SDN Janjaweed militia 20,000 SDN (Darfur) Organisation: Drawn from nomadic mainly Arab tribes in Sudan’s west, this violent militia was responsible
in the early twenty-first century for hit-and-run attacks on horseback on Darfuri villages. Its attacks focused
on Fur, Tunjur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups presumed to be sympathetic to rebels opposing the
government in Khartoum, leading to allegations that the Janjaweed was backed by Khartoum and was
perpetrating genocide against black Africans (which some observers dispute). Training: Allegedly provided
by the Sudanese and Eritrean governments. Main camp in Misteria, North Darfur. Weapons: SALW
SDN Justice and Equality Movement Up to SDN (Darfur) Organisation: This Islamist rebel group has been a major actor in the Darfur conflict, seeking to topple the
(JEM) 5,000 government and end inequality between the country’s north and other regions. It launched its first attack on
Khartoum in 2008 and is now believed to be mainly based in North Kordofan state. Leader Khalil Ibrahim was
killed in December 2011. Training: Military training provided by the Ugandan government outside Kampala
Weapons: SALW, crew-served weapons, at least two tanks seized from the government
SDN Sudan Liberation Movement 4,000 SDN (Darfur) Organisation: Emerging out of tribal self-defence militia in the late 1980s, this rebel group originally called
(SLM) for the creation of a united democratic Sudan. In 2006, it split into two major factions – North (SPLM–N),
and South Kordofan (SPLM–SK) – after disagreement over the Darfur Peace Agreement. In November 2011,
both factions, along with JEM, formed the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) to oppose the government of
President Omar al-Bashir and create a liberal, secular country. Training: Most recruits are former government
militiamen. Weapons: SALW
UGA Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) 1,500+ DRC, UGA, (Gulu, Organisation: Infamous for its night-time kidnapping of child fighters, the LRA emerged in Uganda in the
Kitgum), CAR, late 1980s. Led by the demagogic Joseph Kony, the group has terrorised civilians as its small ‘brigades’ of
SDN 10–20 fighters have spread from Uganda to the DRC, CAR and South Sudan. Since UPDF attacks on the main
LRA bases in northeastern DRC in 2008, LRA commanders have become more autonomous, some with their
own satellite militias. Training: Khartoum is alleged to provide training and support. Weapons: SALW, anti-
personnel mines, anti-tank mines