Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) -- Founding Group and Faction

Appears at different times throughout 3 decades: 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Despite the recent increase in effective raids by Indian forces and an apparent decrease in operational capability, al-Badr appears to be regrouping.  This entails the need to shore up group resources, establish new training camps, and evaluate their personnel options.  Al-Badr is still pursuing their goals of an Indian-free Kashmir that will become part of Pakistan, the spread of Islam over South Asia, and the strict adherence to Islamic doctrine and law.  The organization will continue to attempt disruption of any negotiations between India and Pakistan, as well as attack sources of 'corrupt' Western influences.

<a href="terrorist_organizations_by_country.asp?id=MK">Macedonia, The Republic of</a>

The Albanian National Army (ANA), despite its name, is a small, loosely-organized terrorist group  --  not a national army. The group, which grew out of insurgent Albanian groups that battled Macedonian troops in 2001, is opposed to the peace agreement that increased the rights of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia and conferred amnesty to the rebels. Instead, ANA favors the unification of areas populated by Albanians in several neighboring Balkan states into an independent entity. They have protested Macedonian courts for "conducting political trials against innocent Albanians." Macedonian authorities, however, say the group's motives are more criminal, and that their attack on the court in Struga was in retaliation for the imprisonment of a group member thought to be involved in human trafficking.

The ANA's attack on the court in Struga has provoked fears that rebel activity in the area may be increasing.  International officials, however, stress the supposed criminal motives of the group, and do not expect the group to grow stronger.  Many of the group's rebels surrendered their weapons to NATO as part of the 2001 peace settlement.<br /><p><br />The U.S. government has declined to place the ANA on its list of designated foreign terrorist organizations, and shares the opinion that it is more of a criminal gang.  They do view the group, however, as a "threat to peace and stability in the Western Balkans," and have frozen their assets in the United States and prohibited Americans from engaging in transactions with the group.<br />