er of the Islamic group. The Islamic Group is linked with the al-Dir al-Bahri massacre in Luxor in November 1997, which claimed the lives of 58 tourists; and some leaders of the extremist fundamentalist movements in Pakistan. On May 28, 1998 the Islamabad daily, The News reported that Osama bin Laden had announced the formation of an International Islamic Front for Jihad against America and Israel. Talking to a group of journalists who had traveled for Pakistan to meet him at his base in Khost in southern Afghanistan, he said leaders of Islamic movements in several countries, including Pakistan had evinced interest in joining the front. He stated that Dr. Aiman Al-Zawahiri had played a crucial front in launching the front. To sum this all up, al-Qaida is a network of many different fundamentalist organizations in diverse countries. The common factor in all these groups is the use of terrorism for the attainment of their political goals, and an agenda whose main priority is the overthrow of the heretic governments in their respective countries and the establishment of Islamic governments based on the rule of Shariah....
