Al-Saiqa (meaning the Storm or Thunderbolt) was a Marxist Muslim Palestinian terror club founded in 1966 by Syrian Ba'athists. Al-Saiqa served as a pan-Arab, pan-Islamic, Syrian-backed movement within the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Like most Palestinian terrorist organizations, al-Saiqa's goal was to destroy Israel and establish an Arab/Islamic/Communist state in its place.
Due to its close ties with the dictatorial and ruthless Syrian regime, Al-Saiqa was originally commanded by Syrian General Salah Jadid, a chief rival of Syrian dictator Hafez al-Asad. When Asad seized power in 1970, he promptly replaced al-Saiqa's leadership with his supporters, placing al-Saiqa firmly under the control of the Syrian army. Despite its supposed commitment to the Palestinian cause, it has consistently supported Syrians at the expense of Palestinians.
Al-Saiqa is no longer active within the Palestinian terrorist movement because it was not sufficiently Islamic to survive the rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism that has swept through Asia, the Middle East, and Africa over that past decade. The best Jihadists now belong to HAMAS, Islamic Jihad, Hezballah, and groups like al-Qaeda.
Translated Meaning: The Storm, The Thunder Bolt
Aliases: As-Sa'iqa, Al-Saika, Al-Saeqa, Vanguard for the Popular Liberation War
