Washington — The number of terrorism attacks worldwide in 2008 fell 18 percent from 2007 levels, and the number of deaths from attacks last year fell 30 percent from 2007, the State Department reported in its latest annual report on terrorism.

“Al-Qaida and associated networks continued to lose ground, both structurally and in the court of world opinion, but remained the greatest terrorist threat to the United States and its partners in 2008,” according to the report’s strategic assessment section. County Reports on Terrorism 2008 was sent to the U.S. Congress April 30.

Based on statistics compiled for the report by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), the number of worldwide attacks by terrorists in 2008 was 11,770, which is an 18 percent decline from the 14,506 attacks in 2007. The number of deaths in 2008 due to terrorist attacks was 15,765, a decline of 30 percent from 22,508 deaths in 2007.

The NCTC also reported that 19 U.S. citizens were killed in terrorist attacks last year, compared with 33 deaths in 2007.

Progress in slowing the growth of terrorism worldwide has resulted from aggressive efforts by the United States and its partners using intensified law enforcement, intelligence gathering and sharing, and new counterterrorism laws, said Ronald Schlicher, the State Department’s acting coordinator for counterterrorism. Added to that has been significant success in blocking terrorist financing. Al-Qaida has been actively engaged in trying to raise money wherever it can, he said.

The NCTC said that in 2008, terrorist use of kidnappings for ransom increased significantly. This signals that terrorist funding from traditional sources is being disrupted.

Schlicher said that building an international consensus against terrorism and terrorist groups has made it increasingly difficult for the various groups to recruit new members, obtain arms and munitions, and raise funds from sympathizers elsewhere in the world.

“The terrorist groups of greatest concern — because of their global reach — share many of the characteristics of a global insurgency: propaganda campaigns, grass roots support, transnational ideology, and political and territorial ambitions,” the report said.

Another reason cited for the decline in terrorism after nearly a decade of steady increases is that there have been significant achievements in eliminating terrorist group leaders, the report said.

“These efforts buy us time to carry out the nonlethal and longer-term elements of a comprehensive counterterrorist strategy: disrupting terrorist operations, communications, propaganda, subversion efforts, planning and funding, and preventing radicalization before it takes root,” the annual report said.

The State Department has developed a regional approach that it has found successful in disrupting terrorist groups, Schlicher said. It is being called the regional strategic initiative.

Schlicher said the State Department’s anti-terrorist training program has trained more than 6,000 government officials over the past 25 years, often using tailored programs for specific regions and sections of the world.

“Without state sponsors, terrorist groups would have greater difficulty obtaining the funds, weapons, materials and secure areas they require to plan and conduct operations,” the report said. “The United States will continue to insist that these countries end the support they give to terrorist groups.” Countries cited in the report include Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria. North Korea was removed from the list on October 11, 2008, the report said, because it no longer provided material support and assistance to terrorists or terrorist organizations.

The 2008 Country Reports on Terrorism can be obtained from the State Department Web site.

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