In its nihlism, ruthlessness, and repulsiveness, the GIA surpassed any previous terrorist group. The GIA emerged during Algeria's civil war of the 1990s. The war erupted after the main Islamic party (FIS) won the national elections, but was denied power and turned to terrorism:

"The FIS was in turn thrust aside by a far more extreme and ruthless band of revolutionaries, the GIA (Armed Islamic Group). Its aim seemed to be a complete destruction of the existing order. Some of its killers had served with the Taliban in Afghanistan. The economy was targeted, and so at one point were foreigners: Businessmen and journalists were massacred with the intent of driving out foreign capital. Even nuns were murdered, and fundamentalists threw acid in the faces of female students who refused the veil. Whole villages--including women and children--were slaughtered by unknown guerrillas, for unknown motives. In Algiers huge car bombs killed far more civilians than the combined terrorist acts had in the war against the French.

Beheading of victims became common, their heads stuck on road signs as a kind of gruesome sport. Algerians themselves spoke of the "blind war," but in its prolonged, random senselessness it came almost more to resemble Europe's Thirty Years War of the 17th century.

In many ways the horrors suffered in Algeria over the past 50 years read like a paradigm, a microcosm of Islam's frustrated inability to meet the challenges of the modern world, which leads it to lash out against the rich, successful West. In the context of Iraq, Algeria's 'war of liberation' acquires a new, sharper relevance"
-Alistair Horne

And who are terrorists anyways? In the past 18 months, to 1st May, 2002, Israeli terrorists have killed approximately 1,200, Palestinians, (now probably 1,600 - 1,800, up to 12th May). They have used American tanks, American helicopter gunships, American warplanes, and American missiles against civilians. In the same period, in response to the Israeli killings, Palestinian suicide bombers have killed approximately 200 Israelis. Ariel Sharon oversaw the slaughter of over 800 Palestinian civilians, mostly women & children, in the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps in South Beirut in 1982. In Jenin the Israeli army used bulldozers to crush house in which civilians sheltered, the Israelis used civilians as human shields when they attacked Palestinians and checked for booby traps. These acts fall within the definition of war crimes. Israel has developed weapons of mass destruction and has over 200 nuclear weapons, and the USA has done nothing about it. The government of U.S.A. has funded and still funds and arms the Israeli terrorists. This year, 2002, USA government is giving Israel $2,000,000,000 in military aid, that's an awful lot of tanks, helicopter gunships, warplanes, missiles etc.etc., and that's nothing compared the previous years.

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, eh 555555? Nice if they would at least stop picking on unarmed civilians before calling themselves freedom fighters. :P

Murderous terrorist groups don't even belong on here!