Specific Issues

• Country Reports on Terrorism, see, Key Reports
• CyberSecurity
• Terrorism Designations FAQs
• Intelligence Reform
• Chronologies
• Detainees
• Lockerbie Bombing, 1988

21 January 2013 State Dept Statement on the Terrorist Attack in Algeria   "As the President said, the blame for this tragedy rests with the terrorists who carried it out, and the United States condemns their actions in the strongest possible terms. We will continue to work closely with the Government of Algeria to gain a fuller understanding of the terrorist attack of last week and how we can work together moving forward to combat such threats in the future."

15 January 2013 Ambassador Rice at U.N. Security Council on Counterterrorism 

14 January 2013 United States Hosts the G8 Roma-Lyon Group on Counterterrorism and Counter-crime  From January 15 to January 17, the United States will host the Group of Eight Roma-Lyon Group meeting in Washington. These important meetings aim to better align G8 counterterrorism and anti-crime policies.   These meetings were rescheduled from October 2012, due to Hurricane Sandy.  
The G8 Roma-Lyon Group, which is comprised of G8 partners (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union), pursues practical projects in counterterrorism, transportation security, high-tech crime, criminal legal affairs, law enforcement, and migration
   

 2012

18 December 2012 Global Counterterrorism: A Progress Report  Remarks by Daniel Benjamin, Coordinator, Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC.

14 December 2012 United Arab Emirates Hosts World Center to Fight Extremism   The United Arab Emirates, with the backing of the United States, has launched the first international institution aimed at countering violent extremism.
Ministerial Plenary Co-Chairs Fact Sheets (via State.gov) :

• About the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) 
• International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism
• The Deliverables

11 December 2012 State Dept. on Designation of Al-Nusrah Front as Terrorist Group  Since November 2011, al-Nusrah Front has claimed nearly 600 attacks in major city centers. Through these attacks, al-Nusrah has sought to portray itself as part of the legitimate Syrian opposition while it is, in fact, an attempt by al-Qa’ida in Iraq to hijack the struggles of the Syrian people for its own malign purposes
• State Dept. Briefing on Terrorist Designation of al-Nusrah Front

20 October 2012 Secretary Clinton on Acts of Terrorism in Beirut  The United States condemns in the strongest terms the acts of terrorism that took place in Beirut’s Achrafieh neighborhood today. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who were killed.

18 October 2012 Rewards for Justice - al-Qaida Reward Offers  The Department’s Rewards for Justice program is offering rewards for information on two key Iran-based facilitators and financiers of the al-Qaida terrorist organization.  The U.S. Department of State has authorized a reward of up to $7 million for information leading to the location of Iran-based senior facilitator and financier Muhsin al-Fadhli and up to $5 million for information leading to the location of his deputy, Adel Radi Saqr al-Wahabi al-Harbi.

11 October 2012 Data Sharing Helps Fight Crime, Homeland Security Chief Says  A formal agreement between Bulgaria and the United States on sharing information on suspected criminals and terrorists will help counterterrorism and law enforcement efforts while protecting individual privacy, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano says.

05 October 2012 Statement by the U.S. Embassy on the Extradition of Five Terrorism Suspects to the U.S. for Trial   The United States is pleased that the UK judicial authorities approved the extraditions of Abu Hamza al-Masri, Adel Abdul Bary, Khalid al-Fawwaz, Babar Ahmad, and Syed Talha Ahsan to the United States to face prosecution in U.S. courts on terrorism charges.  These individuals are being transferred to the United States.
• Fact Sheet on extradition of 5 terrorism suspects for prosecution in the U.S., October 2012
• Fact Sheet: The Five Terrorism Defendants Extradited to the U.S. for Trial in New York and Connecticut

29 September 2012 State's Burns at U.N. Meeting on Countering Nuclear Terrorism 

31 July 2012 Briefing on the Country Reports on Terrorism 2011
• 2011 Country Reports on Terrorism: Strategic Assessment
The complete text of the Country Reports on Terrorism 2011 is available on the Department of State website.
From Country Reports on Terrorism 2011: Europe & Eurasia: Chapter 2 (includes United Kingdom )

25 July 2012 Amb. Benjamin on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation 

18 July 2012 U.S., Partners Cooperate to Counter 21st-Century Threats  The United States is engaging in partnerships with countries around the world to build military cooperation in the fight against 21st-century security threats, according to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

10 July 2012 State Dept Fact Sheet : Terrorism Designations FAQs 

09 July 2012 U.S., Partners Work to Combat Terrorism, Support Victims  The U.S. and its international partners are working together to counter violent extremism and help the victims of terrorism around the globe, says Under Secretary of State Maria Otero.

26 June 2012 U.S., EU Cooperate on Law Enforcement, Security Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, to join their European counterparts for the biannual U.S.-EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting. The focus was U.S.-EU efforts related to border management, countering violent extremism, law enforcement cooperation, global supply-chain security, aviation security and cybersecurity.

25 June 2012 State's Otero on Combating Crime-Terror Pipelines  Remarks by Maria Otero, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, at the National Defense University's in Washington, DC, on Trans-Atlantic Dialogue on Combating Crime-Terror Pipelines.

07 June 2012 Clinton Praises Global Counterterrorism Efforts at Istanbul Forum  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says global counterterrorism efforts are making a significant difference in keeping citizens safe, and she is calling on countries around the world to continue to stand together in the fight against violent extremism.

06 June 2012 State Dept. Fact Sheet on Counterterrorism Meeting in Istanbul  Fact Sheet issued by the Co-Chairs (Turkey and the United States) of the Global Counterterrorism Forum for the GCTF Ministerial-Level Plenary in Istanbul.

08 May 2012 Defense Secretary Panetta: U.S. Must Stay Vigilant Against Terrorist Attacks  A recent attempt by Yemeni-based terrorists to plant an explosive device on an airliner bound for the United States shows the nation needs to remain vigilant against new acts of terrorism, Defense Secretary Panetta said.   In a plot whose details may never be fully known, U.S. and Yemeni operatives last month disrupted the plans of a bomber affiliated with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, to detonate a plastic explosive device aboard a commercial aircraft.

30 April 2012 Brennan Says al-Qaida's Core Badly Weakened  White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan says current intelligence indicates that morale is low among members of the terrorist group al-Qaida and many of its members are giving up and returning home, believing it is a fight they will never win.

19 April 2012 Women Can Counter Terrorism, Advance Peace  Women can be an important weapon against terror and an instrument for peace, according to experts who gathered to discuss the topic April 19 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.  The symposium on the roles of women in terrorism and counterterrorism was sponsored by Women In International Security, a global network dedicated to advancing women’s leadership.

19 April 2012 State Dept. Official Assesses Counterterrorism Strategy   The U.S. Department of State's new Bureau of Counterterrorism is working to protect the United States by developing and implementing "civilian counterterrorism strategies, policies, operations and programs to disrupt and defeat the networks that support terrorism," says a top State Department official.

02 March 2012 U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Taliban Explosives Maker  All assets of a Taliban explosives manufacturer that are in the United States or controlled by Americans have been frozen and U.S. entities are prohibited from engaging in transactions with him, the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

2011

22 December 2011 White House on Terrorist Attacks in Iraq

19 December 2011 U.S. Official in Mideast for Sanctions, Terrorist-Financing Talks   A top U.S. Treasury Department official is visiting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain for discussions of sanctions against Syria and Iran and efforts to disrupt funding for terrorist networks worldwide.  Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen is traveling to continue the Treasury Department’s close coordination with international partners and allies in the region, the Treasury Department said.

09 December 2011 U.S. Counterterrorism Expert Assesses al-Qaida After bin Laden   The State Department’s top counterterrorism expert says the loss of Osama bin Laden has put the terrorist group al-Qaida on “a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse.”   “There is no question that bin Laden’s departure from the scene was the most important milestone ever in the fight against al-Qaida,” Daniel Benjamin, the U.S. coordinator for counterterrorism, said at a recent conference in Washington.

01 November 2011  Justice’s Breuer at Senate Hearing on Transnational Crime    Statement of Assistant Attorney General Breuer before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, Washington, D.C.

12 October 2011 Terrorist Designation of Five People Tied to Iranian Plot  The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the designation of five individuals, including four senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) officers connected to a plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States Adel Al-Jubeir, while he was in the United States and to carry out follow-on attacks against other countries’ interests inside the United States and in another country.

12 October 2011 Obama: Iranian Plot a Flagrant Violation of International Law  President Obama says an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States Adel al-Jubeir and kill Americans in the United States is “a flagrant violation of U.S. and international law.

11 October 2011 U.S. Attorney General on Assassination Plot against Saudi Envoy  The Department of Justice announced charges against two people who allegedly attempted to carry out a deadly plot that was directed by factions of the Iranian government to assassinate a foreign ambassador here in the United States.

03 October 2011 U.S. Official on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism  Statement by the  United States Mission to the UN on Agenda Item 109 in the Sixth Committee: Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism.

22 September 2011 Clinton Launches New Counterterrorism Partnership  With the goal of preventing the creation of more victims of terrorism, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined foreign ministers from 30 countries in launching the Global Counterterrorism Forum, designed to provide a venue for countries to collaborate on strengthening the capacities of governments, civil society groups and others to prevent and address terrorist threats.
 • Secretary Clinton at Launch of Global Counterterrorism Forum

22 September 2011 U.S. Defense Secretary Says Taliban Insurgents Being Turned Back  As the United States ends military operations in Iraq this year, more attention and resources are being focused on the mission in Afghanistan, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told a Senate committee.

19 September 2011 Attorney General Says Cooperation Crucial to Counterterrorism  International collaboration has been essential in identifying and combating global terrorist threats, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says.Holder addressed a U.N. symposium on international counterterrorism cooperation in New York and told other justice officials that “our security interests are intertwined — and … our counterterrorism efforts must be as well.”

16 September 2011 White House Adviser on Administration’s Counterterrorism Strategy  Remarks by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, John Brennan, to the Program on Law and Security at Harvard Law School,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

08 September 2011 Treasury Geithner on Combating Terrorist Financing Since 9/11  Remarks at Treasury's Counter-Terrorist Financing Symposium.

16 August 2011 Terrorist Designation of Haqqani Network’s Sangeen Zadran  The Secretary of State has designated Haqqani Network (HQN) Commander Sangeen Zadran under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.

03 August 2011 New White House Strategy Aims to Curb Violent Extremism The Obama administration announces a new strategy that offers support to local communities to help curb the threat posed by terrorist groups and other extremists within the United States.

29 June 2011 Presidential Adviser Announces New Counterterrorism Strategy  President Obama’s new National Strategy for Counterterrorism formalizes the approach his administration has been pursuing and adapting for the past two and a half years to prevent terrorist attacks and to ensure al-Qaida’s demise, Obama’s chief homeland security and counterterrorism adviser says.

29 June 2011  Ensuring al-Qa'ida's Demise  Remarks of John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in  Washington, DC.
 • Fact Sheet: National Strategy for Counterterrorism
 • National Strategy for Counterterrorism (PDF via Whitehouse.gov)

10 May 2011  Osama bin Laden’s Death Pivotal in Shift to Peace, Leaders Say  Amid swift reaction to the death of terrorist leader and mass murderer Osama bin Laden, world leaders generally believe the event may be pivotal in shifting the focus away from a decade characterized by terrorism and extremism to one of building democratic societies in the Middle East and across the globe.

02 May 2011 Muslim-American Religious Experts Discuss Bin Laden's Death

02 May 2011 White House Briefing with Counterterrorism Adviser John Brennan

02 May 2011 Obama Calls Death of bin Laden an Act of Justice  President Obama says the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden allows the world to tell the families of bin Laden’s victims: “Justice has been done.”   U.S. forces killed bin Laden in a firefight, part of a raid on his compound in Pakistan early on May 2, Pakistani time. In announcing the death, Obama called bin Laden “a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.”

02 May 2011 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Killing of Osama bin Laden

01 May 2011 Remarks by the President on Osama Bin Laden

20 April 2011 Security Council Strengthens Global Nonproliferation and Counterterrorism Measures  Today, the United Nations Security Council reaffirmed its strong commitment to international nonproliferation and counterterrorism efforts by unanimously adopting resolution 1977, and extending the mandate of the 1540 Committee for 10 years. Resolution 1977 reaffirms Security Council resolution 1540, which obliges states to implement measures to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

29 March 2011 U.S. and EU Launch Formal Negotiations for an Agreement to Protect Personal Information Exchanged in the Context of Fighting Crime and Terrorism

24 March 2011 Secretary Clinton on the bombing in Jerusalem

07 March 2011 Statement by President Barack Obama: New Actions on Guantanamo Bay and Detainee Policy
  • Fact Sheet: Guantanamo and Detainee Policy (PDF - 36Kb)
  • Executive Order on Periodic Review (PDF - 24Kb)

02 March 2011 Obama on Shooting of American Service Members in Germany

10 February 2011 Terrorism Still Top U.S. Security Threat The top U.S. intelligence officer says that terrorism remains the greatest threat to the nation, although the primary threat from the al-Qaida terrorist group has been weakened.

09 February 2011 U.S. Adapts Counterterrorism Efforts to Evolving Threats  The U.S. is continually adapting its "counterterrorism techniques to effectively detect, deter and prevent terrorist acts," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says.

04 January 2011 Assassination of Punjab Provincial Governor Press Statement by the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the assassination in Pakistan of Punjab Provincial Governor Salmaan Taseer.

03 January 2011 U.S. Condemns Attacks in Egypt, Nigeria, Iraq
President Obama and other U.S. government officials condemned deadly terrorist bombings that targeted Christians in Egypt and Iraq and people gathering in Nigeria for New Year’s celebrations.
 • Statement by the President

25 December 2010 President Obama Condemns Terrorist Attack in Khar, Pakistan

15 December 2010 Terror Attack on Iranian Mosque "Disgraceful," Obama Says   President Obama denounced a bombing attack targeting Iranian civilians in Chabahar as "disgraceful and cowardly" and said that those who carried out the attack "must be held accountable."

24 November 2010 Clinton on Second Anniversary of Mumbai Terrorist Attacks

17 November 2010 Cooperation Is Effective in Countering Terrorism  A global threat such as terrorism demands that nations work more closely together than ever to prevent new attacks and disrupt terrorist groups, and for nearly a decade this collaboration has been working, says the State Department’s top counterterrorism official.

09 November 2010 U.S. Makes Offer to Remove Sudan from Terror List   The United States has conditioned its willingness to accelerate the process of removing Sudan from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism provided that Sudan fully implements its obligations under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), including preparing and conducting a January 9, 2011, referendum in southern Sudan and respecting the referendum results.

06 November 2010 Obama Praises India's Resolve Against Terrorism  President Obama paid tribute to terror victims and the resilience of Indian society in the face of security threats, and said the United States and India are cooperating more closely than ever against terrorism.

04 November 2010 Treasury Imposes Sanctions on Two Pakistan-Based Terror Groups   The U.S. Treasury Department announced actions November 4 against the financial and support networks of the Pakistan-based terrorist groups Lashkar-e Tayyiba and Jaish-e Mohammed.  Treasury has imposed sanctions to seize or freeze the assets of key leaders from the two terrorist groups who have been involved in terrorist attacks in India in recent years.

01 November 2010 U.S. Allies, Good Security Helped Prevent Cargo Bomb Attacks   The Obama administration credits the diligence and cooperation of security services from the United States and its partners overseas for identifying and neutralizing two bombs placed aboard cargo jets bound for the United States.

30 October 2010 Readout of the President’s Call with Prime Minister David Cameron on the terrorist plot
 • Statement by the President on the Security Alert [Whitehouse.gov video]
 • Summary of President Obama’s Call with Saudi King Abdullah

29 September 2010 Aviation Continues to Be Terrorist Target, U.S. Official Says  The United Nations aviation body says a ban on passengers carrying liquids on international flights may be lifted as soon as 2012, but U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says it’s too early to tell.

08 September 2010 Rice on Review of U.N. Global Counterterrorism Strategy  Says United States supports U.N.'s plan of action against terrorism.

24 August 2010 U.S. Condemns Outrageous Attack by al-Shabaab on Somali Hotel  Obama administration officials condemned an attack on a Mogadishu hotel that reportedly left 30 dead, including six parliament members in Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG), and said the United States will continue to partner with countries in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere against terrorism and violent extremists.

20 August 2010 Statement by Secretary Clinton on the One-Year Anniversary of the Release of Abdel Basset Mohamed al-Megrahi "Regrettably, today is the one-year anniversary of the release of Abdel Basset Mohamed al-Megrahi, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his role in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

05 August 2010 Fact Sheet: State Department releases Country Reports on Terrorism 2009
 • More on the Country Reports on Terrorism 2009

05 August 2010 Terrorist Attacks, Fatalities from Attacks Declined in 2009   The number of terrorist attacks worldwide in 2009 fell by about 6 percent from the previous year, and the number of deaths from these attacks declined by about 5 percent — marking the second consecutive year that attacks and fatalities from terrorism declined.

23 July 2010 State Department on Haqqani Network Designation in Pakistan  Response to question on designation of individuals associated with al-Qaida.

21 July 2010 Clinton Says Pakistan Showing Greater Commitment Against Terror  The Pakistani government has become "very serious" about fighting the violent extremist organizations within its borders, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says, and while there is more work to be done she envisions greater cooperation between the United States and Pakistan against terrorist groups as more trust is built between the two governments.

19 July 2010 Secretary Clinton's response to U.S. Senators on the Release of Abdelbasset al-Megrahi

15 July 2010 U.S. Says Attacks in Uganda Are “Real Concern”  When the Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorist group claimed that it had carried out the July 11 attacks in Uganda, it created a “real concern for us and for Africans,” says the State Department’s counterterrorism coordinator, Daniel Benjamin.

08 July 2010 Obama on U.S.-EU Agreement on Terrorist Finance Tracking Program   Welcomes European Parliament’s decision to approve new agreement.

09 May 2010 Secretary Clinton's Interview with Scott Pelley of CBS 60 Minutes

08 May 2010 Obama's Interview on Channel Rossiya, Russian TV  Discusses Russian-American relations, the New START Treaty and Iran.

22 April 2010 Reports of Syrian Arms Transfers to Hizballah Raise Concerns  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States is concerned by reports that suggest Syria is transferring arms to the Iranian-backed Hizballah militia group in Lebanon. She also said the return of a U.S. ambassador to Damascus would improve communication between Syria and the United States.

14 April 2010 Summit Achieves Commitments to Prevent Nuclear Terror  Obama administration national security officials say the April 12–13 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington succeeded not only in increasing international recognition of the shared threat from nuclear terrorism, but also resulted in concrete actions and decisions from the participants, ranging from increasing the security of nuclear materials and expertise to reducing the availability of highly enriched uranium and plutonium.

06 April 2010 Nuclear Security Summit to Meet in Washington  President Obama will host a nuclear security summit in Washington April 12 and 13 to enhance international cooperation in preventing nuclear terrorism, a danger he has identified as the most immediate and extreme threat to global security. He has invited more than 40 nations to participate, nations that represent a diverse set of regions and various levels of nuclear materials, energy and expertise.

18 March 2010 CIA Director: U.S. Attacks Have Weakened al-Qaida  CIA Director Leon Panetta says aggressive attacks against al-Qaida in Pakistan have forced Osama bin Laden and his top associates deeper into hiding, and weakened the terrorist group’s ability to plan sophisticated operations. Panetta told the Washington Post newspaper that in a recently intercepted message an al-Qaida lieutenant urged bin Laden to come to the group’s rescue and provide leadership.

17 February 2010 Capture of Taliban Leader “A Significant Win,” White House Says   The Obama administration confirmed reports that the Pakistani government has Afghan Taliban military commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in custody, saying the capture of the movement’s number two leader is a big success for U.S. and Pakistani cooperation against violent extremism in the South Asia region. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that Pakistan recognizes extremists within its borders pose “an existential threat” to their country.

04 February 2010 Global Threat Reduction  Ambassador Bonnie D. Jenkins, Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs, speaking at the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Transatlantic and International Security in London, UK.

07 January 2010 Obama Announces Enhanced Airline Security Measures  The United States is strengthening airline security measures and taking other corrective actions in the aftermath of a thwarted terrorist attack on a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day, announced President Obama. Obama outlined four areas that two top-level reviews have indicated need correcting to prevent a similar incident from happening. However, part of the problem, the president said, is that the U.S. intelligence community had sufficient information about the alleged terrorist and the possibility of an attack, but because of lapses and miscues, authorities did not intercept him before he boarded a flight to the United States from Europe.
 • Remarks by the President on Strengthening Intelligence and Aviation Security
 • Read the summary of the security review (White House, PDF, 409KB)
 • Read the President's Directive on corrective actions (White House, PDF, 153KB)

07 January 2009 Background Briefing Following Security Review  Background Briefing by Senior State Department Officials following release of Security Review conducted after the failed Christmas terrorist attack.

05 January 2010 Intelligence Not Fully Analyzed Before Airline Attack, Obama Says  President Obama says a Nigerian man affiliated with al-Qaida in the Arabia Peninsula was able to board a U.S.-bound flight with explosives on December 25, 2009, because U.S. intelligence officials had failed to “connect the dots” of information that could have prevented him from being allowed onto the aircraft.

04 January 2010 Remarks by Secretary Clinton, Qatar Prime Minister Al-Thani  They discuss their meeting held at State Department in Washington.

01 January 2010 Clinton on Terrorist Attack in Pakistan  United States strongly condemns attack, offers condolences.

29 December 209 President Obama on Review of Terrorist “Watchlisting System”  Directs examination of all intelligence on suspect in airliner attack.

29 December 2009 President Obama on Aviation Security Procedures  Directs immediate review of aviation screening technology.

29 December 2009 Obama: United States Doing Everything to Protect Americans President Obama says those responsible for the attempted Christmas Day attack on an American airliner will be held to account. In his first public comments on the incident, Obama also outlined additional steps to improve air safety. The president said many questions surround the attempted attack and that the search for answers is well under way. “A full investigation has been launched into this attempted act of terrorism. And we will not rest until we find all who were involved and hold them accountable,” he said.

28 December 2009 U.S. to Review Security Procedures After Detroit Airline Incident  The Obama administration is reviewing U.S. terror monitoring procedures after a Nigerian man attempted to blow up an airliner as it approached the city of Detroit. Administration officials say the suspect’s name had been entered into a U.S. security database, but had not been added to a “no-fly” list.
 • Statement by President Obama

15 December 2009 Presidential Memorandum--Closure of Dentention Facilities at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base

19 November 2009 Counterterrorism: Press Conference with Secretary Clinton at U.S. Embassy Kabul

19 November 2009 U.S. Welcomes Armed Repulsion of Pirate Attack  The United States on November 18 welcomed the repulsion of a band of pirates by gunfire from a private security team on a ship off the northeastern coast of Somalia.Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the department is pleased with the success of the team on board the Maersk Alabama, the same ship that was hijacked in April when it did not have a security team onboard. In that incident, pirates held the ship’s captain hostage until an elite unit of U.S. military snipers freed him.

30 October 2009 Senate Vote Marks Next Step in Complex Effort to Close Guantánamo Shortly after his inauguration, President Obama called for the closure of the detention facility at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba within a year, banned use of torture in interrogations, pledged adherence to the Geneva Conventions, and created a task force to develop a new policy for detainees.

17 September 2009 Director of National Intelligence Remarks on Cyber-Infrastructure  Blair says best defenses should be shared with private sector.

24 August 2009 Obama Creates New Unit to Handle High-Level Interrogations  In an effort to gain more intelligence through “scientifically proven means,” the Obama administration has created a “high-value interrogation group” with responsibility for interrogating key detainees who are believed to have useful information on violent extremist groups, a White House spokesman says.

06 August 2009 Obama Aide on a New Approach to Safeguarding Americans  Remarks by assistant to the president for homeland security.

31 July 2009 Obama Praises Philippines for Counterterrorism Progress  President Obama praised the government of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for progress in dealing with counterterrorism issues and initiating a peace process in Mindanao. Obama said that the peace process to rein in terrorists in Mindanao has the potential to bring peace and stability to a region of the island nation that has been the source of unrest for too long.

21 July 2009 Department of Justice Detention Policy Task Force Issues Preliminary Report  The Department of Justice and Department of Defense today announced that the Detention Policy Task Force, which was created pursuant to Executive Order 13493, has issued a preliminary report on military commissions and a process for the determination of prosecution forum for trials of suspected terrorists.

21 May 2009 Obama Sets Framework for Trying Terrorist Detainees  Saying that this generation of Americans faces "a great test in the specter of terrorism," Obama laid out a framework for how the U.S. will proceed in trying and treating detainees accused of acts of terrorism that conforms to accepted U.S. legal practice, and how they will be confined if convicted by U.S. federal district courts or revised military commissions.

21 May 2009 Remarks of President Barack Obama on Protecting Our Security and Our Values

16 April 2009 Statement of President Barack Obama on Release of OLC Memos  These Office of Legal Counsel memos speak to techniques that were used in the interrogation of terrorism suspects during the period between 2002 and 2005.

23 January 2009 Analysis: Obama Offers New Approach to Counterterrorism  President Obama plans to continue building robust global partnerships to confront terrorism, but he has already signaled in his first days in office a new American approach to facing extremist violence.

Detainees

11 June 2009 White House Document on Obama's Plan for Guantánamo Bay  Series of documents on issues central to Obama administration’s agenda.

11 June 2009 Four Uighur Guantánamo Detainees Resettled in Bermuda  The Obama administration says it is "extremely grateful" to the government of Bermuda for accepting four Chinese Uighur detainees who had been cleared for release after being held at the Guantánamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.

29 April 2009 Remarks by Attorney General Holder at American Academy of Berlin  Holder says Europe and America must join together to close Guantanamo.

29 January 2009 U.S. Delegate on Closure of Guantánamo Detention Center

22 January 2009 Obama Orders Guantánamo Shut Down  President Obama issued orders closing the detention center at the Guantánamo Bay U.S. naval base in Cuba within a year and placing new restrictions on interrogation of terrorism suspects. "The message we are sending around the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism and we are going to do so vigilantly," Obama said at a January 22 White House signing ceremony.

Detainees at Guantanamo Bay
A Department of Defense web site

see also: Department of Defense: Military Commissions

A Department of Defense web site.

Intelligence Reform

27 October 2005 Intelligence Director Issues New U.S. Intelligence Strategy (PDF 696KB)    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.

18 August 2011 U.S. Terrorism Report Cites Attacks in 72 Countries in 2010

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

21 December 2011 Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Annual Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial Service

20 August 2009 Scotland’s Release of Pan Am 103 Bomber Disappointing, U.S. Says  The Obama administration says it is deeply disappointed by the decision of the Scottish Executive to release Abdel Basset Mohamed al-Megrahi, the only individual convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan American World Airways Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Lockerbie Trial In-Depth BBC News