Tanzim al-Qaeda fi Jazirat al-Arab, or the Al-Qaida Organization in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The AQAP focuses its operations in the Arabian Peninsula, in particular in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Many of the cells or units of AQAP inside Saudi Arabia seem to operate within local areas, rather than nationwide, in part to avoid security nets. However, as the conflict in Iraq has continued, more Sunni Saudi militants have traveled to Iraq as fighters.

AQAP's first stated goal is to drive foreign influences (mainly the U.S. military and other Westerners) out of Saudi Arabia. A second, but disputed, aim is the toppling of the royal Al Saud family to recreate an Islamic caliphate in the Arabian Peninsula.

Cells in Saudi Arabia have been significantly hurt by effective Saudi counterterrorism operations. Most experienced militant leaders are dead or captured. AQAP can still attack soft targets, such as lone Westerners outside of fortified compounds, but AQAP's greatest strength now lies in redirecting fighters to Iraq and other countries to carry out violent jihad.

Yemen also provides sanctuary for AQAP militants attempting to escape Saudi security forces and a place to purchase weaponry more advanced than simple Kalashnikov-type rifles.

Early operations by Sunni militants in Saudi Arabia focused on striking U.S. military forces, including personnel, installations, aircraft and naval vessels. By 1996, this became more difficult as U.S. forces relocated to remote desert sites in the kingdom. Following the large-scale withdrawal of U.S. military forces announced in April of 2003, AQAP-type terrorists focused their assaults on expatriate civilians.

In May of 2003, Al-Qaida's Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered Yusuf Salih Fahd al-Ayiri to launch terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia. Security forces killed Ayiri a month later, and AQAP suffered extensive damage to its terrorist network. Ayiri reportedly wanted to continue building up terrorist infrastructure in the kingdom before launching an offensive against the Saudis. Almost immediately, the AQAP found itself forced to diffuse its cells and members, and it apparently began to rely more heavily on the Internet for communication and organization.

In addition to carrying out terrorist operations, Saudi and AQAP militants have also conducted an active media campaign, publishing journals and articles online, providing both operational and theological support for their movement. The Call, or Al-Neda, was one such online journal published by Ayiri until his death. The Voice of Jihad, or Sawt al-Jihad, also published pieces on the ideology of militants in Saudi Arabia. Another publication, Al-Battar Training Camp, provided training on selecting targets and operational security.

The AQAP is an umbrella group of Saudi-based Sunni terrorists, including Salafists fighting the United States, anti-government forces (who want to topple the royal family) and national religionists. Militant Sunni Islam in Saudi Arabia grew stronger throughout the 1990s, becoming quite active by 2003. However, just as Sunni terrorists in Saudi Arabia were growing in numbers and strength, U.S. forces put considerable distance between themselves and those same terrorists in Saudi Arabia by relocating to Qatar and elsewhere in the Middle East.

When Al-Qaida began attacking civilian rather than tougher military targets in 2003-2004, and there was an increase in collateral damage, there was a backlash against the terrorists in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Qaida operatives in Saudi Arabia have ready access to pistols and automatic weapons. Rocket-propelled grenade launchers and surface-to-air missiles can also be acquired in and imported from Iraq and Yemen. Porous borders in the desert mean most arms purchased in Yemen can be transported to Saudi Arabia. Computer and communications equipment is also easily purchased.

Despite ready access to weapons, ample funding and a fundamentalist environment, AQAP has had significant operational difficulties. Saudi security services have proven effective at killing many AQAP leaders. A list of 26 top terrorists in the kingdom, as of 2003, was whittled down to a handful in just a couple years. A second batch of 15 top terrorists was cut in half in just about a year. Abdulaziz al-Muqrin (aka Abu Hajar), one of the group's original cell leaders, consolidated AQAP operations on March 17, 2004, giving the group its current name. Dissension in the ranks over jihad operations against other Saudis, especially when U.S. military forces are in Iraq, reportedly led to more AQAP activity in Iraq.

The active campaign by the Saudi government to combat terrorist groups has been effective according to U.S. observers. More than 1,500 Al-Qaida members and sympathizers have been arrested in the country. As a result, the Al-Qaida/AQAP movement in Saudi Arabia has been largely stymied. A successor element uses virtually the same name when it is translated into English; it is slightly different in Arabic. The newer element is based in Yemen and has embraced the remnants of Al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia.

June: AQAP leader and Al-Qaida go-between Yusuf Salih Fahd al-Ayiri was killed, severing operational links between the groups.

Nov. 8: Al-Qaida terrorists stormed the secure residential neighborhood of al-Muhaya in Riyadh, using bomb-packed vehicles to set off three explosions. Saudi Interior Ministry officials said the attack used the same suicide car-bombing strategy employed during May 12 attacks in Riyadh. At least 28 people were killed and another 100 were wounded in the attack. Many of the casualties were children.

April 21: Suicide bombers in Riyadh killed five people and injured 140 more at a security facility.

May 1: AQAP members assaulted an office complex in Yanbu owned by Exxon Mobil and Saudi firm SABIC. Five Westerners were killed, along with a Saudi national guardsman. Three of the four terrorists involved in the attack were reportedly employed at the site.

May 29: Terrorists attacked two office buildings and a residential compound in Khobar, killing 25 civilians. Three of the terrorists involved in the hostage-taking escaped; the fourth was killed.

June 12: AQAP kidnapped an American contractor in Riyadh who was working for Lockheed Martin. The Fallujah Brigade of AQAP, which claimed responsibility for the attack, demanded the release of Islamic militants in exchange for the release of the hostage.

Four expatriates were killed by Al-Qaida terrorists in Saudi Arabia in June.

Saudi police followed up with raids on several terrorist hideouts, killing Abdulaziz al-Moqrin, then-leader of AQAP.

June 22: Saleh al-Oufi, a former sergeant in the Saudi security forces, took over leadership of AQAP.

June 23: A month-long amnesty offer was issued by the Saudi government to terrorists; only six people took advantage of the offer.

Sept. 15: Gunmen in Riyadh assassinated a British citizen working for the Marconi communications company. AQAP claimed responsibility for the attack.

Dec. 6: Five Saudi militants, apparently linked to AQAP, attacked the U.S. consulate in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. Five non-American employees were killed, as well as Saudi security personnel. The attackers reportedly stormed the building specifically to kill Americans, but the terrorists never reached the main building where Americans worked.

The attack occurred on the one-year anniversary of the Interior Ministry's listing of 26 wanted terrorists linked to Al-Qaida. Militants identified in the attack included Fayiz Bin Awwad al-Jihinni, Id Bin Dakhilallah al-Jihinni and Hasan bin-Hamid al-Hazimi. U.S. Marines and Saudi security forces killed three of the attackers outright and wounded the other two (one mortally).

Dec. 21: Twenty Saudi militants bombed a U.S. dining facility in Mosul, Iraq. Twenty-two service members were killed in the attack.

Dec. 28: Saudi security forces engaged in raids of suspected terrorists, killing seven.

Dec. 29: AQAP conducted two bombings just minutes apart and 5 miles from each other. In the first of two bombings, a car bomb exploded outside the Interior Ministry building in Riyadh. A suicide bomber detonated his car outside the compound after attempting to drive the vehicle into the building. Six police officers were wounded and one bystander was killed in the attack. In the second incident, a suicide bomber attacked a recruitment center for emergency troops in Riyadh. Two security personnel and two bystanders were injured. Interior Minister Nayef bin Abdel Aziz al Saud and his son were the reported targets of the bombings.

Aug. 18: Security forces killed Saleh al-Oufi during a gun battle in Madinah.

Aug. 26: The Saudi Interior Ministry said it had prevented a major terrorist attack in Riyadh and arrested 41 terrorist suspects.

Dec. 27: Saudi security forces fired at and captured Mohammed Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailemi at a roadblock near Madneb, to the south of Buraidah. Al-Suwailemi was an AQAP member on Saudi Arabia's most-wanted list. Three policemen died in the clash. Al-Suwailemi later died of his wounds. Two police also died east of Buraidah in a separate clash.

Dec. 28: Abdul Rahman ibn Saleh Al-Miteb, another most-wanted AQAP member, was shot and killed in the Qassim region.

June 23: Six suspected Al-Qaida militants and a Saudi policeman died in a shootout in northern Riyadh. Security forces reportedly disrupted terrorist planning efforts.

June 24: Saudi officials reported they had detained some 40 suspected Islamist terrorists, though the arrest date was not released. Some were captured at a hideout in the northeastern town of Hafr al-Baten, near the Iraqi border with Iraq. Others were caught in Mecca and elsewhere.

Dec. 2: Saudi Arabian officials announced that over the previous three months they had arrested 136 suspected Al-Qaida militants. The Interior Ministry said most of the suspected terrorists were Saudis.

Dec. 7: Gunmen killed two Saudi security personnel when they fired on a guard post at Ruwais prison in Jeddah. Saudi security surrounded the two attackers, who fled into a nearby building. Al-Qaida terrorists were imprisoned at Ruwais at the time of the attack.

Feb. 26: A group of armed men attacked nine French nationals traveling near the city of Medina. Four of the victims were killed, including one teenager. Saudi officials listed the incident as a terrorist assault without specifying any group as responsible for the attack. The attack was the first time that foreign nationals had been targeted in Saudi Arabia since 2004.

April: A police colonel serving in Al-Qasim was found decapitated at a family house in Al-Qusaiah. The murder was generally regarded as terrorist attack. Security forces later detained 30 people in connection with the murder.

April 27: The Saudi government disrupted what it called a broadly based terrorist plot for attacking oil facilities and military bases. The government broke up seven cells and arrested 172 suspects. The plot was said to include plans for assassinations and a prison break.

November: The Saudi government released 1,500 former Al-Qaida militants from prison on the condition they refrain from engaging in jihadist activities in the Arabian Peninsula. The militants had participated in the country's rehabilitation program.

July 28: A suicide bomber attacked a police compound in Yemen, killing one policeman and injuring 81 other people. The attack was carried out by the "Jihad of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula -- Yemini Soldiers Brigade." The group said the attack was initiated in retaliation for the killing of five Al-Qaida members by police in Yemen.

Sept. 10: In an effort to combat terrorist ideologies, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of the Interior announced the arrest of five individuals, including two non-Saudis, for disseminating terrorist propaganda on the Internet.

Sept. 17: Militants attacked the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, using rocket propelled grenades and bombs placed in vehicles. Ten persons, including civilians and embassy guards, were killed. A Yemeni official attributed the attack to Al-Qaida. Observers indicated that the attackers may have been affiliated with a new generation of more militant terrorists within the Al-Qaida factions operating in the Arab Peninsula.

Mar. 15: An Al-Qaida faction in Yemen attacked South Korean tourists visiting southeastern Yemen, killing four. The militants claimed the attack was retaliation for the killing of two militant leaders during a police raid.

July 15: A court in Saudi Arabia sentenced an Al-Qaida militant to death as part of a nationwide crackdown on terrorists. The court simultaneously announced that it had sentenced 323 Al-Qaeda members to prison for terms ranging from several months to 30 years. The court proceeding, involving 179 cases, was Saudi Arabia's first known terrorism trial.

July 24: The existence of AQAP in Yemen affects regional stability, according to U.S. military observers. Gen. David Petraeus, chief of the U.S. Central Command, noted during a visit to Iraq that  links from Al-Qaida in Iraq extend to AQAP which, he said, is "re-establishing itself in south Yemen -- just beginning, but it is there."