Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

nascent security institutions, allowed violent extremists to act, as we saw too clearly on
September 11 in Benghazi, when J. Christopher Stevens, the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, and
three staff members, died during attacks on U.S. facilities.
Al-Qa'ida in Iraq (AQI) – even with diminished leadership and capabilities – continued to
conduct attacks across Iraq, while Shia militants largely ceased attacks but continued to threaten
U.S. targets in Iraq. AQI also took advantage of a significantly depleted security situation in
Syria. Operating under its alias, al-Nusrah Front, the group sought to portray itself as part of the
legitimate Syrian opposition and attempted to hijack Syria’s struggle for democracy. The United
States designated al-Nusra as an alias of AQI in December 2012.
Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has also taken advantage of the instability in the
region, particularly in Libya and Mali. Kidnapping for ransom operations continued to yield
significant sums for AQIM, and it conducted attacks against members of state security services
within the Trans-Sahara region.
In the spring of 2012, a Yemeni military offensive, with the help of armed residents, regained
government control over territory in the south, which AQAP had seized and occupied in 2011.
Although weakened, AQAP was not eliminated as a threat. AQAP increasingly turned to
asymmetric tactics to target Yemeni government officials, pro-government tribal militias known
as Popular Committees, and their leaders, soldiers, civilians, and U.S. embassy personnel.
In 2012, there was a clear resurgence of Iran’s state sponsorship of terrorism, through the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), its Ministry of Intelligence and Security,
and Tehran’s ally Hizballah, who remained a significant threat to the stability of Lebanon and the
broader region. Attacks in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and the Far East were
linked to the IRGC-QF or Hizballah. In fact, Hizballah’s terrorist activity has reached a tempo
unseen since the 1990s with attacks plotted in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Despite these persistent threats, governments across the region improved their own
counterterrorism capabilities, effectively disrupting the activities of a number of terrorists. The
Iraqi government displayed increased capability and efficacy in pursuing multiple Sunni violent
extremist groups. Though AQIM's presence and activity in the Sahel and parts of the Maghreb
remains worrisome, the group's isolation in Algeria grew as Algeria increased its already
substantial efforts to target it. And in 2012, Yemeni forces were successful in reducing the
physical territory that AQAP had previously gained in Yemen as the result of political turmoil.
In Gaza, a sharp increase in the number of rocket attacks launched by Hamas and other Gazabased
terrorist groups led Israel to launch Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012.
During the course of the eight-day operation, Israeli forces targeted more than 1,500 terrorist
sites. Since the Egypt-brokered November 21 ceasefire, the United States has engaged with our
Egyptian and Israeli counterparts to strengthen and sustain the peace, in keeping with the
President’s pledge to Prime Minister Netanyahu to intensify efforts to help Israel address its
security needs, especially the issue of the smuggling of weapons and explosives into Gaza. For
instance, with U.S. encouragement, Egypt has increased its focus on border security and
weapons interdictions. Israel has reciprocated by easing some of its economic sanctions on
Gaza. The end result was a period of calm in Gaza. The United States is also in close contact
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