Summit County Citizens Voice

A year-by-year ranking of lethal al-Qaida terror attacks. Graphic courtesy the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

Fanatic group has killed more than 4,000 people since 1998

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Even though Osama bin Laden may have in hiding the past several years, al-Qaida became one of the most lethal terrorist organizations in the world under his leadership, responsible for more than 10,000 deaths and injuries in 12 years, according to a study by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland. The consortium’s website is currently highlights features on Osama bin Laden’s death.

“Al-Qaida, the terrorist organization Osama bin Laden founded, was responsible for fomenting more mass casualty attacks than any other group in recent history,” said START Director Gary LaFree, a University of Maryland professor who has assembled the world’s most comprehensive unclassified terrorism database.

The report shows that al-Qaida was responsible for, or suspected to be responsible for, 84 terrorist attacks around the world since 1998, resulting in the deaths of at least 4,299 individuals. Another 6,300 people were wounded in al-Qaeda attacks.

•    More than 600 other groups have been engaged in terrorism worldwide since 1998, with al-Qaeda being responsible for less than one percent of all attacks but more than 20 percent of all terrorism fatalities, indicative of the intensely deadly nature of al-Qaida operations and efforts.

•    Since 1998, there have been 408 incidents of mass-casualty terrorism. Al-Qaeda was responsible for 16 of these attacks, more than any other group. Additionally, START researchers Victor Asal and R. Karl Rethemeyer at the University of Albany counted 33 separate terror groups with direct links and alliances to al-Qa’ida.

The report concludes that al-Qaida’s efforts were deadlier by far than those of most other known, long-term terrorist groups, including ETA, the Basque separatist organization in Spaing, which killed 820 people between 1972 and 2008. IRA attacks have killed about 1,829 people dating back to 1970. The only group that comes close in terms of lethal attacks is the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC), killing 4,835 people during the course of its existence.

More from the report:

    •    Since 1998, there have been 408 incidents of mass-casualty terrorism—single events in which more than 25 people were killed. Al-Qa’ida was responsible for 16 mass-casualty terrorism attacks—more than any other group during this same period.

    •    Al-Qa’ida has also become a crucial “node” of a network of deadly terrorist organizations— some created in the hopes of replicating al-Qa’ida, others aligning with al-Qa’ida for ideological or practical reasons. Research by Victor Asal and R. Karl Rethemeyer at the University of Albany (SUNY) has identified 33 different terrorist organizations with direct links and alliances to al-Qa’ida.

Filed under: Summit County Colorado, Summit County news Tagged: | Al Qaeda, al-Qaida, al-Qaida death toll, List of designated terrorist organizations, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, Osama bin Laden, Summit County News, terrorism, terrorism death statistics, University of Maryland College Park, World news