Terrorism

08 March 2008 President's Radio Address  President Bush discussed the CIA program to detain and question key terrorist leaders and operatives.

06 March 2008 President Bush Commemorates Fifth Anniversary of U.S. Department of Homeland Security

28 February 2008 Al-Qaida Remains Leading Threat, Say Intelligence Officials  Top U.S. intelligence officials warn that al-Qaida and its affiliates remain a leading threat to the U.S. and its allies around the world, followed closely by the rapid spread of missile technologies and ongoing efforts by terrorists or nation states to acquire weapons of mass destruction.

08 February 2008 Videos Show al-Qaida in Iraq Recruiting Children for Terrorism  Al-Qaida in Iraq is recruiting and training boys -- some younger than 11 -- to kidnap and kill, senior U.S. and Iraqi military spokesmen said during a February 6 press briefing in Iraq. Five training tapes recovered in a December 2007 raid show as many as 20 boys, most thought to be younger than 11 years old, carrying automatic weapons and grenades, storming homes in mock kidnappings and assassinations and sitting in a circle chanting their allegiance to al-Qaida.

17 January 2008 Terrorist Group List Helps Thwart Support for Terrorist Groups  The U.S. views action to identify and list "foreign terrorist organizations" as an effective tool for denying them financial support, blocking their international travel and criminalizing support for them. Such listing also helps to expose terrorism generally as an unacceptable means for political change, says a senior State Department official.

05 November 2007 Bush Says Turkey, U.S. To Expand Effort on Kurdish Terror Group  President Bush pledged to increase U.S. intelligence-sharing and security cooperation with Turkey to confront terrorists from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), following a recent deadly series of PKK cross-border attacks from northern Iraq.

01 November 2007 President Bush Discusses Global War on Terror

31 October 2007 President Bush Issues National Strategy for Information Sharing   New strategy builds on progress to establish integrated national capability for terrorism-related information sharing among federal, state, local, and tribal officials, private sector, and foreign partners.

23 October 2007 President Bush Discusses Global War on Terror  Remarks at the National Defense University

22 October 2007 Profile of Suicide Terrorist Defies Common Stereotypes  Suicide terrorists defy stereotypes. They may be young or middle-aged or even children, married or single, men or women, educated, religious or not, according to a growing body of information, experts say.

21 October 2007 Press Statement against the PKK Attack Against Turkey

19 October 2007 Suicide Terrorism on the Rise Worldwide, Experts Say  Suicide terrorism is on the rise and increasingly includes children as both victims and perpetrators, say terrorism experts. According to the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, children were reported as victims more often in 2006, up by more than 80 percent as compared to 2005, with more than 1,800 children either killed or injured in terrorist attacks in 2006. Targeting children creates enormous suffering and loss to families and inflicts much deeper economic and social damage on societies because children's deaths destroy future generations, experts say.

18 October 2007 The United States condemns the terrorist attacks in Karachi

10 October 2007 President Bush Discusses Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Legislation

09 October 2007 Fact Sheet: National Strategy for Homeland Security  The National Strategy for Homeland Security recognizes that while the nation must continue to focus on the persistent and evolving terrorist threat, it also must address the full range of potential catastrophic events, including man-made and natural disasters, due to their implications for homeland security. The purpose of the Strategy is to guide, organize, and unify homeland security efforts. It provides a common framework by which the entire nation should focus its efforts.
See also:
  • National Strategy for Homeland Security
  • Briefing by Fran Townsend, Assistant to the President

11 September 2007 The Sixth Anniversary of 9/11: Remembering Lives Lost and Heroic Sacrifices Made  This White House fact sheet summarizes what the U.S. and its partners are doing to defeat Al Qaeda and protect America against attack.

28 July 2007 President's Radio Address  President Bush discusses updates to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

25 July 2007 Setting the Record Straight: Targeting Al Qaeda  "President Bush has consistently argued that Iraq is the central front in the War on Terror. Al Qaeda leaders describe it the same way, which is why they are trying to use murder and mayhem to provoke sectarian violence, foment chaos, and create a safe haven for terror. Defeating al Qaeda has been central to our new strategy in Iraq from day one and will continue to be." said White House Press Secretary Tony Snow.

25 July 2007 Pakistan "Indispensable" in Global Anti-Terrorism Fight  Despite impressive achievements fighting terrorism, Pakistan still needs to do more to defeat terrorist forces on its soil, says R. Nicholas Burns, the State Department’s under secretary of state for political affairs.

24 July 2007 President Bush Discusses War on Terror in South Carolina

21 July 2007 President's Radio Address   In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "The men who run al Qaeda are determined, capable, and ruthless. They would be in a far stronger position to attack our people if America's military, law enforcement, intelligence services, and other elements of our government were not engaged in a worldwide effort to stop them. We will meet the responsibility that history has given us; we will adapt to changing conditions, and we will not let up until our enemies are defeated and our people are secure."

17 July 2007 Al-Qaida Remains Significant Terrorist Threat, Report Says  The terrorist organization al-Qaida remains a persistent and evolving threat to the United States, according to a new report from the U.S. intelligence community.

17 July 2007 Pakistani Government Praised for Confronting Extremists  The Pakistani government’s efforts to confront extremist forces have drawn praise from a senior U.S. diplomat, who also pledged support in upgrading Pakistan’s military capabilities and promoting economic development in the country’s tribal areas.

22 June 2007 Thwarting Nuclear Terrorism Requires Global Cooperation  By U.S. Assistant Secretary of State John C. Rood.

18 June 2007 Rice Praises Pakistani Progress Against Extremism  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised the progress Pakistan has made in combating extremism over the past six years and called for free and fair parliamentary elections as a step toward the restoration of democracy.

14 June 2007 U.S. Allies Urged To Move Decisively Against Terrorism Financing  U.S. allies need to accelerate the use of financial sanctions to address terrorism and weapons proliferation, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says.

06 June 2007 Rice Says Worldwide Cooperation Needed in Terrorism Fight  The U.S. is receiving "very excellent" cooperation from Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay on combating suspected terrorist activity in the region where the three Latin American countries share a common border, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says.

01 May 2007 President Bush Addresses CENTCOM Coalition Conference

19 April 2007 President Bush Discusses the Global War on Terror  The President said, "This enemy is smart, capable, and unpredictable. They have defined a war on the United States, and I believe we're at war. I believe the attack on America made it clear that we're at war."

11 April 2007 "Horrific" Attacks in Morocco and Algeria Condemned  The Bush administration condemned recent terrorist attacks in Algeria and Morocco as "horrific acts" and voiced support for both countries’ ongoing efforts to combat extremism.

19 March 2007 Efforts To Counter Nuclear Terrorism Grow in Size and Scope  The U.S. is working with more than 70 countries to secure and dispose of dangerous nuclear and radiological materials that could be used covertly by terrorists and state sponsors of terrorism in an attack or blackmail effort.

27 February 2007 Intelligence Officials Target Terrorist Safe Havens  Nations must do more to prevent terrorists from establishing safe havens in lawless corners of the world, say top U.S. intelligence officials.

26 February 2007 Pakistan Key Counterterrorism Ally, Says White House  The U.S. considers Pakistan a vital ally in the struggle against terrorism and will look to its government for continued support as al-Qaida and the Taliban gear up to target neighboring Afghanistan in a new spring offensive, says White House spokesman Tony Snow.

23 February 2007 Vice President's Remarks to the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue  Re-affirms Australian-U.S. alliance, comments on the war on terror, Iraq and Iran.

20 February 2007 Bush Calls for Flexibility in Human Intelligence Gathering  President Bush, presiding over the swearing-in of retired Vice Admiral Mike McConnell as the new director of national intelligence, called for more flexibility in the use of personnel with foreign backgrounds to gather critical intelligence in the war on terrorism.

12 February 2007 Ankara Meeting Considers Ways to Confront Nuclear Terrorism  A group of partner nations is meeting in Turkey to sketch out an agenda of future counterterrorism and nonproliferation activities to prevent and reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism.

08 February 2007 Bush Seeks $294.8 Billion for Counterterrorism  President Bush asked Congress for significant spending increases in fiscal year 2008 to fight terrorism and to safeguard the United States from future attacks.

06 February 2007 Intelligence Chief Nominee Warns of Internal Terrorist Threat  Retired Navy Vice Admiral J. Michael McConnell, the man President Bush has tapped to be the next director of national intelligence, told senators at his confirmation hearing he will focus on reforming the intelligence community to counter a growing terrorist threat from inside the United States.

22 November 2006 Homeland Security Dept. Opposes Racial Profiling, Official Says  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it will review the conduct of its employees who were involved with the removal of six Muslim imams from a domestic flight bound from Minneapolis to Phoenix.

30 October 2006 Nations Meet in Morocco on How To Counter Nuclear Terror Threat   Representatives of 12 nations are gathering in Rabat, Morocco, October 30-31 to discuss how to address effectively the ever-present threat to the international community from terrorists determined to detonate a nuclear or radiological device.

17 October 2006 Bush Signs Military Commission Act To Try Terrorist Suspects   President Bush has signed a new law that he says will allow terrorist suspects to receive fair trials while preserving the ability of the Central Intelligence Agency to continue interrogating suspected terrorist leaders and operatives.

12 October 2006 State Department Seeks Leads on U.S.-Born al-Qaida Spokesman   Under its Reward for Justice program, the State Department is offering up to $1 million to anyone providing information leading to the arrest or conviction of an American citizen who has served as an al-Qaida spokesman.

27 September 2006 Bush Releases Intelligence Report Findings on Terrorism, Iraq  President Bush on September 26 authorized U.S. Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte to declassify selected portions of a report on trends in global terrorism to illustrate the report’s findings are far more complex and nuanced than the characterizations reported by the media.

26 September 2006 President Declassifies Key Judgements of Intelligence Report on Iraq and War on Terror  President Bush announced September 26 that he would release portions of a classified intelligence report that he said the American news media mischaracterized as linking Iraqi security operations with an increased terrorist threat in the United States.

22 September 2006 Bush Says U.S., Pakistan Collaborating and Strategizing Against Extremists  President Bush said he and the Pakistani government share a joint interest in bringing members of al-Qaida, including Osama bin Laden, to justice and he welcomed discussions between Pakistan and India aimed at resolving long-standing issues between the two countries, such as the dispute over Kashmir.

14 September 2006 U.S Intelligence Chief Outlines Improvements Since 9/11 Attacks   By U.S. Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte.

14 September 2006 War on Terrorism Is a "Long War," Counterterrorism Expert Says   Successful counterinsurgencies usually last a decade, according to counterterrorism expert Bruce Hoffman in a USINFO webchat. This means the U.S. War on Terror is still in its early days, he said.

12 September 2006 U.S. Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes Calls for a United World To Condemn Terror

11 September 2006 War on Terror a Struggle for Civilization, Bush Says  In a nationally televised address commemorating the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, President Bush depicted the resulting conflict as "a war that will set the course for this new century" and a struggle "to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations."

11 September 2006 President's Address to the Nation

11 September 2006 Five-Year 9/11 Remembrance Honors Victims from 90 Countries  Five years ago, evil swept into America’s skies and onto American soil, said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a ceremony at the U.S. Department of State, and the victims of the 2001 attacks in the U.S. by al-Qaida terrorists included people from around the world.

10 September 2006 Intelligence Director John D. Negroponte Reviews Changes Since September 11 Attacks

10 September 2006 U.S. Has Multipronged Strategy To Fight Terrorism, Says Frances F. Townsend, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism.

09 September 2006 Bush Says U.S. Must Take Terrorists' Goals Seriously  President Bush said the U.S. must take the words of extremists such as al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden seriously and must "act decisively to stop them from achieving their evil aims."

08 September 2006 Rice Cites Progress in War on Terror Since September 11 Attacks  Although the U.S. and the international community have made progress in the war against terrorism, more work must be done, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

07 September 2006 Bush Says U.S. Security Has Improved Since September 11, 2001  President Bush said the United States is safer than it was at the time of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and is “winning the War on Terror” through vigilance, determination and courage.

07 September 2006 President Bush Discusses Progress in the Global War on Terror  The President spoke to an audience in Atlanta, Georgia

07 September 2006 U.S. Nuclear Security Agency Combats Nuclear Terrorism  Though fairly new and not well known, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) plays a key role in U.S. efforts to prevent nuclear weapons and materials from falling into terrorist hands.

06 September 2006 President's Speech on the Global War on Terror

05 September 2006 Bush Vows Victory Against Terrorists   As the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, approaches, a new White House report calls the global war on terrorism “a battle of arms and ideas,” and sets out a strategy to promote freedom and human dignity as alternatives to the terrorists’ vision of oppression and totalitarian rule.

31 August 2006 War on Terror the "Decisive" 21st Century Struggle, Bush Says  President Bush says the War on Terror is "the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century," pitting free nations against those who employ violence to impose a "dark vision of tyranny" across the world.

30 August 2006 State's Fried Discusses PKK-Sponsored Terrorism in Turkey  The U.S. has been working intensely with the governments of Turkey and Iraq to counter PKK-sponsored terrorism in Turkey, according to a senior State Department official. That cooperation "will intensify," Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried said during an interview with CNN Turk.

29 August 2006 U.S. Must Remain "Committed" To Fighting Terrorism, Rice Says  The world must stay united in fighting terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, particularly in Iran, Secretary of Rice Condoleezza Rice said in a radio interview. Yet the "really devastating problem for the world would be if America loses its will or loses its nerve or loses its commitment," Rice said.

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission)

24 July 2004 Commission Report Will Guide Homeland Security Efforts, Says Bush   President discusses September 11 report in weekly radio address

23 July 2004 United States Safer But Not Yet Safe, Says Rice   National security advisor discusses 9/11 Commission's final report

22 July 2004 National Commission Recommends Ways to Avoid Future Attacks  The final report of the commission investigating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks recommends a major restructuring of the U.S. intelligence community and includes a critical review of actions by the White House, the Congress and other elements of the U.S. government.

22 July 2004 The full report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission) is available on the Commission web site at http://www.9-11commission.gov/

Intelligence Reform

27 October 2005 Intelligence Director Issues New U.S. Intelligence Strategy   A comprehensive U.S. strategy that is designed to integrate the missions of the 15 intelligence agencies better, while enhancing the collection of intelligence on threats to U.S. national security worldwide was released by the director of national intelligence October 26.

Country Reports on Terrorism 2007

The complete text of the Country Reports on Terrorism 2007 is available on the Department of State website

30 April 2008 State Officials Brief on Release of the Country Reports on Terrorism 2007

30 April 2008 New Report Showcases Global Progress Against Terrorism  International gains against terrorist cells in 2007 highlight the continuing need for a complex, comprehensive and collaborative strategy against terrorism.

30 April 2008 United States Identifies 42 Foreign Terrorist Organizations  The U.S. State Department identifies 42 Foreign Terrorist Organizations in its 2007 Country Reports on Terrorism

30 April 2008 Iran Is Most Significant State Sponsor of Terrorism, Report Says

From Country Reports on Terrorism 2007:
United Kingdom

Homeland Security

01 December 2006 Bush Administration Seeks Reforms for Visa Waiver Program  Key elements of a Bush administration legislative initiative to reform the Visa Waiver Program were outlined in a fact sheet issued by the Department of Homeland Security.

28 November 2006 Statement by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on security improvements to the Visa Waiver Program

12 June 2006 Chertoff To Discuss Passenger Name Records at G8 Conference  Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff plans to discuss security cooperation with his counterparts from the Group of Eight (G8) nations during the week of June 12, including the exchange of aircraft passenger name records (PNR) with European Union countries.

06 February 2006 Homeland Security Activities Would Receive 6 Percent Increase   The fiscal year 2007 homeland security portion of the proposed federal budget has been designed to help enhance the security of the nation's borders and improve the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

10 January 2006 World Travel Is Safer with US-VISIT, Security Official Says  After two years implementing new border entry policies and procedures, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reports that further measures still are ahead as the agency strives to smooth and speed the process for legitimate travel and "stop the bad guys."

Detainees

14 December 2006 U.S. Transfers 16 Detainees to Saudi Arabia from Guantanamo  The Defense Department announced that 16 individuals who had been held in U.S. military custody at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, naval base as part of the global war against terrorism have been sent to Saudi Arabia.

23 October 2006 U.S. Official Explains New Military Commission Law   War on Terror detainees now in U.S. custody will receive "full and fair trials," a senior State Department legal adviser says, adding that the CIA will not resume any programs of secret detention without approval from Congress.

30 September 2006 Bush Says Iraq Action Has Not Worsened Terror Threat  President Bush rejected the notion that the 2003 U.S. and coalition military action in Iraq has worsened the threat from terrorism. He also warned that a premature withdrawal from Iraq would embolden extremists.

29 September 2006 Congress Passes Legislation on Questioning, Trying Detainees  The U.S. Congress has agreed on legislation governing how the United States treats and tries detainees in the War on Terror. The legislation would authorize the president to establish military commissions to try unlawful enemy combatants engaged in hostilities against the United States.

19 September 2006 State's Hughes Says U.S. Security Requires Questioning Detainees   Faced with unprecedented threats against the U.S. by terrorists, the Bush administration has had to make difficult decisions regarding the treatment of detainees, said Karen Hughes, under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.

16 September 2006 Bush Says CIA Interrogation Program Has Saved Lives Worldwide  President Bush said he is working with the U.S. Congress to pass "two vital pieces of legislation" essential to winning the War on Terror that would provide legislative backing to surveillance and CIA interrogation programs.

17 September 2006 Administration Officials Call for Clear Interrogation Standards  Administration officials in several television interviews urged Congress to adopt domestic legislation that defines clearly for Central Intelligence Agency interrogators their obligations under Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.

14 September 2006 U.S. Seeking To Clarify Geneva Treaty Obligations  The Bush administration says it is working with the U.S. Congress to define U.S. obligations under Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions in order to keep its CIA interrogation program in the War on Terror operating in a manner consistent with both U.S. law and international treaty obligations.

06 September 2006 President's Speech on the Global War on Terror

06 September 2006 Bush Says High-Level Detainees Will Face Fair Military Trial  President Bush announced that he is sending draft legislation to the U.S. Congress that specifically would authorize U.S. military commissions to try captured terrorist suspects and would clarify the rules governing how U.S. interrogators may question detainees to gather intelligence against terrorist organizations and prevent potential terrorist activities.

06 September 2006 Pentagon Releases New Rules for Treatment of Detainees  The Defense Department released new guidelines for the treatment and interrogation of detainees in the War on Terror September 6 that require, at a minimum, that all detainees in the custody of the Defense Department be treated in a manner consistent with the requirements of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions that prohibits cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment.

26 August 2006 Five Guantanamo Detainees Transferred to Afghanistan  The Department of Defense has transferred another five detainees from the facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, announced the Pentagon. Transfer of the latest group to Afghanistan, based on the outcome of "multiple review processes," leaves some 445 detainees still at the site, according to the department.

03 August 2006 Congress Urged To Define "War Crimes" Under Geneva Conventions   Administration officials and armed forces personnel asked Congress to define clearly U.S. law with respect to terrorism. They made the request during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

11 July 2006 Geneva Conventions Will Apply to Detainees, U.S. Official Says  Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England has ordered Defense Department personnel to treat detainees from the War on Terror in accordance with guidelines established by Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.

30 June 2006 Supreme Court Finds Military Commissions Unconstitutional   President Bush said he will conform with the findings of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that using military commissions to try Guantanamo detainees is unconstitutional. In the court's 5-3 decision, the ruling said these trials were illegal under U.S. military law and the Geneva Conventions.

26 June 2006 14 Guantanamo Detainees Transferred to Saudi Arabia   Fourteen detainees have been transferred from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Saudi Arabia, the Department of Defense announced in a press release. Thirteen were approved for transfer by an Administrative Review Board, which annually reviews each detainee's case and determines if the detainee should be released, transferred or continue to be detained. One detainee was found no longer to be an enemy combatant by the Combatant Status Review Tribunals.

14 June 2006 Bush Says Military Courts Best Solution for Guantanamo Detainees   President Bush said he would like to close the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where enemy combatants from the War on Terror are being held, but the U.S. first needs a plan for conducting legal proceedings for the prisoners, some of whom he called "very dangerous." Speaking to reporters at the White House, Bush said, "I'd like to close Guantanamo. But I also recognize that -- that we're holding some people that are darn dangerous and that we better have a plan to deal with them in our courts."

12 June 2006 U.S. Defense Department Official Discusses Guantanamo Detainee Suicides.Podcast by Cully Stimson Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Detainee Affairs.
Listen to audio:    Subscribe to podcast:      Read transcript

11 June 2006 Three Guantanamo Bay Detainees Die of Apparent Suicide, U.S. Says  Military official believes deaths were coordinated act of "asymmetric warfare".

25 May 2006 Releasing Guantanamo Detainees Would Endanger World, U.S. Says  The U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, does not violate international law, and releasing detainees would allow dangerous combatants to target innocent civilians worldwide, the State Department’s legal adviser told a global Internet audience during a webchat.

08 May 2006 U.S. Says CIA Flights Overstated, Welcomes Ideas for Guantanamo  The great majority of CIA flights questioned by Europeans were not carrying suspected terrorist detainees, says a top State Department official, who also told journalists in Brussels, Belgium, May 4 that the United States would welcome international suggestions on alternatives to the Guantanamo Bay facility.

03 March 2006 There Is No Torture at Guantanamo Bay, Rumsfeld Says   Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that a draft U.N. report on the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba that alleges torture of detainees contains no firsthand accounts of the detainees’ conditions.

22 February 2006 State's Hughes Says Guantanamo Detainees Treated Humanely

15 February 2006 U.S. Officials Call Draft U.N. Detainee Report Flawed, Unbalanced  The draft report, said John Bellinger, the department's senior legal adviser, was based on “statements from members of al-Qaida or the Taliban who've been released from Guantanamo.”

09 February 2006 Pentagon Announces Release of Seven More Detainees  After completion of the first round of Administrative Review Board hearings, seven detainees held in custody by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were released to Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced.

11 January 2006 Detainee Military Trials Resume at Guatanamo Bay Naval Base   U.S. military commission proceedings against suspected terrorists being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are expected to resume January 11.

Detainees at Guantanamo Bay
A Department of Defense web site

see also: Department of Defense: Military Commissions
A Department of Defense web site.

Chronologies

The United States and the Global Coalition Against Terrorism: A Chronology
Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State

The Pan Am 103 Bombing, Lockerbie, Scotland, December 21, 1988

Lockerbie Trial In-Depth BBC News

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