top6/17/2013
Terrorist Organization Profile: |
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| n/a | |
| n/a | |
| Lebanon, Syria | |
| April 1968 | |
| Less than 300 members | |
| Nationalist/Separatist | |
| funded by Syria and Iraq | |
| The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) was established in April 1968 by Ahmed Jabril, a former Captain in the Syrian Army, when it split from the PFLP. Desirous of focusing more on attacks and less on politics, the group has supported armed insurrection against the Israeli occupation. At its inception, the central leadership of the PFLP-GC comprised mostly of former Syrian army officers. In June 1974, the group joined the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), but its membership in the PLO was suspended ten years later due to the PFLP-GC's support for anti-Arafat and anti-Fatah groups. It since became violently anti-PLO. The group has remained largely pro-Syrian, which resulted in an April 1977 split of the pro-Iraqi faction of the organization.
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| The group's operational infrastructure is primarily located in Syria and Lebanon. It usually launches attacks from Lebanon, minimizing its presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The PFLP-GC is notorious for its innovative methods of conducting cross-border attacks, including those involving the use of hot-air balloons and motorized hang-gliders. |
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Key Leaders
Related Groups
- al-Fatah -- Rival
- Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) -- Rival and Ally
- Hamas -- Ally
- Palestine Liberation Front -- Splinter Group
- Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) -- Founding Group
U.S. Government Designations
| Yes (in 2005) | |
| No | |
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Learn more about these U.S. Department of State classifications: Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) Terrorist Exclusion List (TEL) |
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Other Governments' Designations
| No | |
| No | |
| Yes | |
| Yes | |
| No |
Global Terrorism Database
5/31/2013
4/3/2013
3/27/2013
3/25/2013
3/25/2013
Education’s impact on attitudes about terrorism: Former START TRA takes on new policy-relevant study
1/31/2013
1/29/2013
1/29/2013
1/29/2013
11/21/2012
10/16/2012
9/13/2012
8/27/2012
7/17/2012
5/16/2012
3/28/2012
START investigator and former TRA recipient publish book on the mobilization of right-wing extremism
3/21/2012
2/15/2012
10/7/2011
9/30/2011
8/20/2011
9/15/2010
