Nationalist terrorism

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Nationalist terrorism is a form of terrorism motivated by a nationalist agenda. Nationalist terrorists seek to form self-determination in some form, which may take the form of gaining greater autonomy, establishing a completely independent sovereign state (separatism), or joining another existing sovereign state with which the nationalists identify (irredentism). Nationalist terrorists often oppose what they consider to be occupying, imperial, or otherwise illegitimate powers. Violence may also be directed at immigrants who are seen as a threat to the prosperity of the local or native population of the country. Nationalist terrorism is linked to a national, ethnic, religious, or other identifying group, and the feeling among members of that group that they are oppressed or denied rights, especially rights accorded to others.

As with the concept of terrorism itself, the term "nationalist terrorism" and its application are highly contentious issues. What constitutes an illegitimate regime and what types of violence and war are acceptable against such a state are subjects of debate. Groups described by some as "nationalist terrorists" tend to consider themselves "freedom fighters", engaged in valid but asymmetric warfare.

List of alleged terrorist groups

The following are nationalist groups, which in some circles have been deemed terrorist:

The label of a group as carrying out "nationalist terrorism" does not preclude it being described in other terms:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Balochistan</span> Insurgency in Pakistan and Iran

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukrainian Supreme Liberation Council</span> Legislature of areas controlled by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balochistan Liberation Army</span> Baloch terrorist militant group

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balach Marri</span> Baloch militant and separatist (1966–2007)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Baloch Army</span> Militant organization

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The special groups of the NKVD for fighting against nationalists were units set up by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs of the Soviet Union mainly in territories annexed by the USSR before the German-Soviet war due to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, in particular they fought against the OUN and UPA in Ukraine, the Forest Brothers, in the Baltic states and against the Belarusian Black Cats, a special unit of the Schutzstaffel. They were also known as the Agent-Combat Groups (ABG), legend groups, false UPA detachments and the NKVD units dressed as UPA fighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Soviet resistance by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army</span>

The anti-Soviet resistance by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army was a guerrilla war waged by Ukrainian nationalist partisan formations against the Soviet Union in the western regions of the Ukrainian SSR and southwestern regions of the Byelorussian SSR, during and after World War II. With the Red Army forces successful counteroffensive against the Nazi Germany and their invasion into western Ukraine in July 1944, UPA resisted the Red Army's advancement with full-scale guerrilla war, holding up 200,000 Soviet soldiers, particularly in the countryside, and was supplying intelligence to the Nazi Sicherheitsdienst (SD) security service.

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