Badr Forces is the name of a group that claimed responsibility for the February 2001 shooting death of Tzachi Sasson, an Israeli settler who was driving on the Tunnels Road between Jerusalem and the settlement of Gush Etzion in the West Bank.   <P><br /><br />The Israeli Government has stated that Sasson was murdered by a terrorist cell led by Atef Abayat, a top commander of Tanzim and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, militia groups affiliated with al-Fatah.  Abayat was killed in October 2001 by the Israeli security services.  Although no proof exists that Abayat was directly responsible for Sasson's murder, it seems likely that the Badr Forces was a cell within either of the two movements he commanded.  Shooting attacks in the West Bank are a common tactic of both Tanzim and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.<br /><br />Although this attack was perpetrated by a small terrorist cell, the name "Badr Forces" is most often associated with other militant groups in the greater Middle East, all of whom likely played no role in the incident. <P><br /><br />The battle of Badr was a famous event in Islamic history whereupon Mohammed and his followers defeated a numerically superior force of non-Muslims near Medina.  Although Badr is often referenced by many Islamic militant groups, the name Badr Forces is generally associated with one of three outfits.  <P><br /><br />The most notable of these iterations is the armed wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), one of the two major Shia parties in Iraq.  The Badr Forces (also known as the Badr Brigades or Corps) in Iraq is made up of an estimated 10,000 well-trained soldiers, mostly Shia defectors from the former Iraqi army. The second most common usage of "Badr Forces" is found in Jordan.  The Badr Forces (again also translated as Badr Brigades) of Jordan are a group of Palestinian refugees who served in the Palestinian Liberation Army, the former armed wing of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).  At present, the Badr Forces in Jordan are essentially a Palestinian brigade in the regular Jordanian Army.  Lastly, the "Badr Forces" moniker has been mentioned as an alias for Hezbollah.  A well-known terrorist group based in Lebanon, and supported by Iran.  <P><br /><br />From an analysis of the tactic and location of this particular shooting attack, it is highly unlikely that any of these three groups were responsible for the murder of Tzachi Sasson.  SCIRI's Badr Forces are located in Iraq and Iran, and have never been active in the West Bank.  In addition, the Badr Forces of Jordan are essentially a regular army, and do not engage in terrorist violence.  And while the claim for Sasson's murder was sent to al-Manar television, a station run by Hezbollah, it would be highly unlikely that Hezbollah militants would carry out an attack as far south as the Tunnels Road.  <P><br /><br />