Mapping Militants

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Welcome

The Mapping Militants Project identifies patterns in the evolution of militant organizations in specified conflict theatres and provides representations of changing relationships among groups. Relationships are traced in interactive timeline-diagrams or “maps,” which provide visual representations of how inter-group relationships such as rivalries and alliances change over time. The maps are linked to group profiles, which compile open-source news and data on militant organizations to provide a comprehensive, fully cited report on each group. Click on the name of a map on the list below to display a list of profiles associated with that map. Click on the name of the profile for the full report. Scroll down further to the Maps section to link to the interactive visual “maps” or diagrams of inter-group relationships.

For more information about the project or to contact us, see our About page. Comments are most welcome.

Profiles

View an alphabetical list of all militant organization profiles included in the Mapping Militants Project.

See All Profiles

Maps

View all "maps" created by the Mapping Militants Project.

See All Maps

Learn About MMP

Learn about the Mapping Militants Project, and access answers to frequently asked questions.

About Page

Contact

Send a message to the Mapping Militants team.

mappingmilitants@lists.stanford.edu

New Profiles and Recent Updates

Russian Imperial Movement

Read the full profile

Liwa al-Haqq

Read the full profile

New Irish Republican Army

Read the full profile

Police officers and protesters at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017

Atomwaffen Division/National Socialist Order

Read the full profile

  Profiles
    
  For an alphabetical list of all MMP profiles see our Profiles page. For information on the content of the profiles see our About page.  Each profile follows the same standard format and provides citations to sources for all references. Many profiles also contain a link to a downloadable PDF version of the profile.

Aleppo

Colombia

Global Al Qaeda

Global Islamic State

Iraq

Italy

North Africa

North Caucasus

Northern Ireland

Pakistan

Philippines

Somalia

Sri Lanka

Syria

Aleppo

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Ahrar al-Sham	2011	Active
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (Formerly Jabhat al-Nusra)	2011	Active
Hezbollah	1983	Active
Kata'ib Hezbollah	2007	Active
Liwa al-Tawhid	2012	2014
The Islamic State	2002	Active

Colombia

Name	Founded	Disbanded
April 19 Movement	1974	1989
Bandas Criminales	2006	Active
National Liberation Army (Colombia)	1964	Active
Popular Liberation Army	1967	1991
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army	1964	Active
United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia	1997	2006

Global Al Qaeda

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Abu Sayyaf Group	1991	Active
Al Qaeda	1988	Active
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula	2009	Active
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent	2014	Active
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb	1998	Active
Al Qaeda in Yemen	2000	2009
Al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions	2007	Active
Al Shabaab	2006	Active
Ansar al-Islam	2001	2014
Boko Haram	2002	Active
Egyptian Islamic Jihad	1979	1998
Haqqani Network	1970	Active
Harakat-ul-Mujahedeen	1985	Active
Harkat-ul-Jihadi al-Islami	1984	Active
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (Formerly Jabhat al-Nusra)	2011	Active
Islamic Army in Iraq	2003	Active
Jaish-e-Mohammed	2000	Active
Jemaah Islamiyah	1993	Active
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi	1995	Active
Lashkar-e-Taiba	1990	Active
Lashkar-e-Zil	2002	Active
Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group	1998	Active
Mujahideen Army	2004	Active
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan	2007	Active
The Islamic State	2002	Active
The Taliban	1994	Active
The Those Who Sign in Blood Brigade	2012	2013

Global Islamic State

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Abu Sayyaf Group	1991	Active
Al Qaeda	1988	Active
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula	2009	Active
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb	1998	Active
Ansar al-Islam	2001	2014
Ansar al-Shariah (Tunisia)	2011	Active
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters	2010	Active
Boko Haram	2002	Active
Caucasus Emirate	2007	Active
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (Formerly Jabhat al-Nusra)	2011	Active
Hezbollah	1983	Active
Jemaah Islamiyah	1993	Active
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan	2007	Active
The Islamic State	2002	Active
The Islamic State - Sinai Province	2011	Active
The Taliban	1994	Active

Iraq

Name	Founded	Disbanded
1920s Revolution Brigades	2003	Active
Al Qaeda	1988	Active
Al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions	2007	Active
Al-Tawhid Islamic Front	2001	2001
Ansar al-Islam	2001	2014
Ansar al-Sunna Shariah	2007	Active
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq	2006	Active
Badr Organization of Reconstruction and Development	2012	Active
Hamas Iraq	2007	Active
Hezbollah	1983	Active
Islamic Army in Iraq	2003	Active
Islamic Movement of Kurdistan	1987	Active
Jaysh Rijal al-Tariqa al-Naqshbandia (JRTN)	2006	Active
Kata'ib Hezbollah	2007	Active
Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada	2013	Active
Mahdi Army	2003	Active
Mujahideen Army	2004	Active
Second Soran Unit	1998	2001
Shariah Committee of Ansar al-Sunnah	2007	Likely inactive
The Islamic State	2002	Active

Italy

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Armed Proletarian Nuclei	1974	1978
Armed Revolutionary Nuclei	1977	1988
New Order	1953	1978
October 22 Circle	1969	1971
Partisan Action Groups	1969	1972
Prima Linea	1976	1983
Red Brigades	1970	1984
Red Brigades Fighting Communist Party	1981	1988
Red Brigades Guerrilla Party	1981	1982
Red Brigades Walter Alasia	1980	1983

North Africa

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Al Qaeda	1988	Active
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb	1998	Active
Ansar al-Shariah (Libya)	2011	Active
Ansar al-Shariah (Tunisia)	2011	Active
Ansar Dine	2011	Active
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group	1995	2010
Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group	1998	Active
Mouvement pour l’Unification et le Jihad en Afrique de l’Ouest (MUJAO)	2011	2013
The Islamic State	2002	Active
The Those Who Sign in Blood Brigade	2012	2013

North Caucasus

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Al Qaeda	1988	Active
Caucasus Emirate	2007	Active
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria	1991	2007
International Islamic Peacekeeping Brigade	1998	2003
Riyadus-Salikhin Reconnaissance and Sabotage Brigade	1999	2009
Special Purpose Islamic Regiment	1996	2003

Northern Ireland

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Official Irish Republican Army	1969	2010

Pakistan

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Al Akhtar Trust	2000	Active
Al Qaeda	1988	Active
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent	2014	Active
Al Rashid Trust	1996	2001
Asian Tigers	2010	Active
Balochistan Liberation Army	2000	Active
Balochistan Liberation Front	1964	Active
Balochistan Republican Army	2006	Active
Haqqani Network	1970	Active
Harakat-ul-Mujahedeen	1985	Active
Harkat-ul-Jihadi al-Islami	1984	Active
Islami-Jamiat-Taliba	1947	Active
Jaish-e-Mohammad	2000	Active
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar	2014	Active
Lashkar-e-Islam	2004	Active
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi	1995	Active
Lashkar-e-Taiba	1990	Active
Lashkar-e-Zil	2002	Active
Nazir Group	2006	Active
Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan	1985	Active
Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi	1994	Active
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan	2007	Active
The Taliban	1994	Active
Zain Group	2007	Active

Philippines

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Abu Sayyaf Group	1991	Active
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters	2010	Active
Communist Party of the Philippines–New People's Army	1968	Active
Moro Islamic Liberation Front	1977	Active
Moro National Liberation Front	1972	Active

Somalia

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama	1991	Active
Al Ittihad Al Islamiya	1984	1997
Al Qaeda	1988	Active
Al Shabaab	2006	Active
Hizbul Islam	2009	2013
Islamic Courts Union	2000	2007
Ras Kamboni Brigade	2008	2010
Ras Kamboni Movement	2010	Active

Sri Lanka

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students	1975	1990
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam	1972	2009
People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam	1980	1987
Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization	1977	1987

Syria

Name	Founded	Disbanded
Ahrar al-Sham	2011	Active
Al Qaeda	1988	Active
Ansar al-Sham	2012	2017
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq	2006	Active
Badr Organization of Reconstruction and Development	2012	Active
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (Formerly Jabhat al-Nusra)	2011	Active
Hezbollah	1983	Active
Jaysh al-Islam	2013	Active
Jund al-Aqsa	2013	2016
Kata'ib Hezbollah	2007	Active
Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada	2013	Active
Liwa al-Haqq	2012	2014
Liwa al-Tawhid	2012	2014
Suqour al-Sham	2011	2015
The Islamic State	2002	Active
The Southern Front	2014	Active

  Maps
    
  The MMP research project presents interactive diagrams that “map” relationships among groups and show how these interactions change over time. At present, there are maps of conflicts in Syria (including a map of the Aleppo theatre), Iraq, North Africa/Sahel, Italy, North Caucasus, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. In addition, a Global Islamic State map and Global Al Qaeda map chart their expanding international networks. For more information see our About page.

International

GLOBAL AL-QAEDA

This map displays the links between al-Qaeda and its affiliated militant organizations. The map seeks to visually display the complex nature of the relationships between al Qaeda and its affiliates, as well as its rival/opposition organizations.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/alqaeda

GLOBAL ISLAMIC STATE

This map traces established relationships between the Islamic State and global militant groups. Currently, the map focuses on direct affiliates of the Islamic State and the parent organizations of these affiliates.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/islamic-state

Middle East and Africa

ALEPPO

This map traces the relationships between militant groups operating in Syria's Aleppo governorate. It includes Kurdish, Shiite, Sunni, and secular groups and will be updated over the course of the Syrian conflict.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/aleppo

IRAQ

This map depicts the evolving relationships between militant organizations in Iraq from the early 1990s through 2015.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/iraq

NORTH AFRICA

This map depicts significant militant groups in North Africa and their evolving relationships from the early 1990s onwards. The map mainly displays Islamist militant organizations and Al Qaeda and Islamic State-linked groups.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/north-africa

SOMALIA

This map shows militant organizations that operated in Somalia beginning in the 1980s through the present day.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/somalia

SYRIA

This map traces the relationships between some major militant organizations operating in Syria from 2011 through summer 2014. Currently, the map focuses on Islamist organizations.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/syria

South and East Asia

PHILIPPINES

This map displays the relationships between the Communist/Socialist revolutionary groups and the Islamic revolutionary groups in the Philippines.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/philippines

SRI LANKA

The following map depicts militant groups fighting for an independent homeland for Tamil Hindus in northeastern Sri Lanka. These groups have been operating since the mid-1960s. By the 1980s, there were at least 35 different Tamil militant groups active in

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/srilanka

Central Asia

NORTH CAUCASUS

This map depicts terrorist organizations that operated in the North Caucasus from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 to present-day.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/caucasus

PAKISTAN

The map of Pakistani militants includes those organizations designated by the United Nations Security Council Committee charged with maintaining the “Al-Qaida Sanctions List of Entities and other groups and undertakings associated with Al-Qaida,” pursuant

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/pakistan_un

PAKISTAN -- ALL

This map shows militant groups operating in and out of Pakistan that fall in four categories: sectarian groups, Kashmir jihad groups, Al-Qaeda linked groups operating out of the tribal areas and Balochi groups.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/pak

Europe

ITALY

This map diagrams militant organizations that operated in Italy during the 1950s through the 1980s.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/italy

NORTHERN IRELAND

This map depicts militant groups operating in Northern Ireland starting in the mid-1960s up until 2006.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/ireland

Latin America

COLOMBIA

The Colombia map shows temporal relations between militant groups operating from the mid 1960s to the present, primarily featuring leftist guerrilla groups and right wing militants.

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/colombia

Map images created using ggmap. D. Kahle and H. Wickham. ggmap: Spatial Visualization with ggplot2. The R Journal, 5(1), 144-161. http://journal.r-project.org/archive/2013-1/kahle-wickham.pdf

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