NCJ Number
130272
Journal
Security Management Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Dated: (April 1991) Pages: 30-32,34,37-38
Date Published
1991
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Terrorism sponsored by the government of Iraq has been and will continue to be a threat to the assets of the United States, particularly military interests, and requires counterterrorist measures that are based on understanding of past mistakes and Saddam Hussein's previous actions.
Abstract
State-sponsored terrorism resulting from Islamic fundamentalism has existed for many years, but the United States and other Western countries ignored it as long as it was directed against the countries' own populations. Saddam Hussein, the Ba'ath Party, and the Iraqi government have used terrorism for many decades, and the United States provided limited support to Iraq in its war with Iran. Since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the media have reported several aspects of the current terrorist threats, including the gathering of terrorist leaders in Iraq, Iraqi agents' monitoring of facilities in Saudi Arabia, the travel advisory issued by the U.S. State Department, and threats of reprisals against pro-Western Arab countries. Terrorist groups reported to be working for Saddam Hussein include the Abu Nidal Organization, Palestine Liberation Front, May 15 Organization, Hezbollah, and several other organizations. United States military personnel in the Middle East are the most at risk of terrorist attacks, particularly from bombs or suicide attackers.