Also In This Issue Cover Story: Global Jihad

By Corine Hegland, National Journal
© National Journal Group Inc.
Friday, May 7, 2004

Osama bin Laden issued a fatwa in 1998 declaring that to "kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it."

What follows is National Journal's compilation of deaths, dating from September 12, 2001, that according to news reports and interviews with experts appear to result from the actions of global jihadists. The attacks are linked to Al Qaeda by name or through inspiration and influence. Attacks on Israelis or Palestinians within Israel or the occupied territories, and attacks within Iraq, Afghanistan, and India and the disputed territory of Kashmir, are excluded from this total.

2004
April 28: Southern Thailand: Muslim teenagers armed with machetes attack police and army outposts, which respond with heavy weapons and an attack on a mosque where some militants had holed up. 112 dead.

April 27: Damascus, Syria: Bomb, grenades, gunfire attack in diplomatic quarter. Four dead.

April 21: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Suicide attack on security building. Seven dead.

March 28-April 1: Uzbekistan: Wave of suicide bombings. 47 dead.

March 11: Madrid: Cellphone-detonated bombs on commuter trains. 202 dead.

March 2: Quetta, Pakistan: Suicide, grenade, and gunfire attack on Shiite religious procession. 44 dead.

2003
November 15 and 20: Istanbul: Suicide bombings at British Consulate, HSBC Bank, and two synagogues. 63 dead.

November 8: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Car-bomb attack on housing compound. 17 dead.

October 15: Gaza Strip: Cell of disparate Palestinians attack U.S. diplomatic convoy. Three dead.

August 5: Jakarta, Indonesia: Car-bomb attack on Marriott Hotel. 12 dead.

July 4: Quetta, Pakistan: Suicide attack on Shiite mosque. 50 dead.

May 16: Casablanca, Morocco: Suicide bombers attack a Jewish center, a Spanish restaurant, a hotel, and the British Consulate. 45 dead.

May 12: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Car-bomb attacks on three housing compounds. 35 dead.

March 4: Davao, Philippines: Backpack bomb explodes in airline terminal. 21 dead.

April 2: Davao, Philippines: Bomb explodes on passenger wharf. 16 dead.

February 20: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Lone gunman ambushes car carrying British contractor. One dead.

January 21: Kuwait City: Lone gunman espousing global jihad ideology ambushes car carrying U.S. contractors. One dead.

2002
December 27: Grozny, Chechnya: Suicide bombers drive two explosives-laden trucks into headquarters of pro-Moscow government. 85 dead.

December 26: Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines: Militants ambush bus carrying employees of Canadian mining company. 13 dead.

December 5: Makassar, Indonesia. Bomb explodes at a McDonald's. Three dead.

November 28: Mombasa, Kenya. Anti-aircraft missiles launched at a plane; three suicide bombers drive into Paradise Hotel. 15 dead.

October 28: Amman, Jordan. USAID Administrator Laurence Foley assassinated. One dead.

October 23: Moscow: Chechen rebels seize theater and hold 800 hostages; rescue attempt results in 130 dead.

October 12: Bali, Indonesia: Bombings in nightclub area frequented by Australian tourists. 202 dead.

October 8: Failaka Island, Kuwait: Gunmen attack U.S. soldiers. One dead.

October 6: Mina al-Daba, Yemen: Suicide speedboat attacks French oil tanker Limburg. One dead.

August 5: Murree, Pakistan: Gunmen attack Christian school for foreign children. Six dead.

July 5: Larbaa, Algeria: Bomb detonated in downtown. 38 dead.

June 14: Karachi, Pakistan: Car-bomb attack between U.S. Consulate and Marriott Hotel. 12 dead.

May 9: Kaspisk, Dagestan, Russia: Remote-controlled bomb and gunfire hit May Day parade. 45 dead.

May 8: Karachi, Pakistan: Car bomb explodes next to shuttle bus carrying French naval engineers. 14 dead.

April 11: Djerba, Tunisia: Suicide attack on synagogue using propane-gas truck. 21 dead.

March 17: Islamabad, Pakistan: Grenade attack on diplomatic congregation in Protestant church. Five dead.

January 23: Karachi, Pakistan: Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl kidnapped and later killed. One dead.

2001
October 6: Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia: Suicide bomber attacks shopping area frequented by Westerners. Two dead.

TOTAL: 1,275 dead.
The total is 1,145 dead if the hostages killed in the Moscow theater rescue in October 2002 are excluded.

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