U.S. Department of State, 1991 Patterns of Global Terrorism
Terrorism Resources Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1991 Office of the Secretary of State Office of the Coordiantor for Couterterrorism Released April 1991 Table of Contents Introduction The Year in Review Africa Overview Asia Overview Western European Overview Latin America Overview Middle East Overview Overview of State-Sponsored Terrorism Appendix A: Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1991 Appendix B: Background Information on Terrorist Groups Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1991 The Year in Review The number of international terrorist incidents rose in 1991 as a result of the Persian Gulf war, when terrorists in many regions of the world attacked targets belonging to the international coalition opposed to Saddam Hussein. Most of these were minor incidents, resulting only in property damage. War-related attacks brought the total number of international terrorist incidents in 1991 to 557, up from 456 in 1990. Fully half of the incidents in 1991 occurred during January and February, while Operation Desert Storm was under way. After the war, however, the number of terrorist incidents dropped sharply and actually fell below 1990 levels. Several events in 1991 revealed the threat and extent of state-sponsored terrorism, particularly as practiced by Iraq, Libya, and Iran. In the months following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, Iraq issued repeated exhortations to terrorists to strike at coalition targets worldwide. Terrorists of many stripes embraced Saddam Hussein and publicly vowed to launch attacks in the event of war. During Operation Desert Storm, we recorded 275 terrorist incidents. Most of these attacks, however, were sporadic, uncoordinated, and low-level incidents. Only a small percentage resulted in deaths, significant injuries, or property damage.
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