These four rising terrorist organizations could replace al Qaeda as Public Enemy #1.

These four rising terrorist organizations could replace al Qaeda as Public Enemy #1.(Weekly).By Eugene K. Chow.

From the bloody siege of a Kenyan mall and captured Algerian oil fields, to high-profile political assassinations in Tunisia and vehicular rampage at Tiananmen Square, 2013 was marked by terrorist organizations that seemingly emerged from nowhere to wreak havoc and take innocent lives.

Here, a look at a few:

1. Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS)

Beginning as an umbrella organization for Iraqi insurgent groups in 2003, the Islamic State of Iraq (aka al Qaeda in Iraq) suffered major setbacks during the latter stages of the Iraq War, but since the withdrawal of U.S. forces and the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the group has returned with a vengeance.

This year, the predominately Sunni extremist group has stepped up its operations, perpetrating more than 40 deadly attacks each month across Iraq, primarily against Shiite targets in an effort to incite sectarian conflict. So far, the surge in violence has claimed roughly 800 civilian lives since mid-2013.

Most notably, in July the group successfully launched a massive attack on Abu Ghraib prison freeing more than 500 captured fighters, including many senior al Qaeda commanders. The highly-organized attack consisted of waves of car bombs, multiple suicide bombers, and mortar and rocket fire while prisoners rioted on the inside.

With the outbreak of conflict in Syria, the Islamic State of Iraq rebranded itself as Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) and has established itself as a significant player among opposition forces.

2. Ansar al Dine

In the chaos following the military coup that deposed Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure last March, Ansar Dine, loosely translated as "defenders of the faith," took control of a swath of land the size of Texas that included three major cities in the north Timbuktu, Kidal, and Gao.

Led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, a prominent leader of the Tuareg rebellion in the 90s, Ansar Dine is a militant Islamist group with close ties to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb that seeks to impose a strict interpretation of sharia law. In areas under their control, they have banned alcohol, smoking, and soccer, and have required women to wear veils. Those who did not comply were beaten, tortured, or killed.

Following a French-led UN military offensive earlier this year, Ansar Dine, has gone underground. A senior commander was captured earlier this year and Ghaly's whereabouts remain unknown. However groups loyal to Ghaly have continued attacks on French troops and government security forces.

3. Ansar al Sharia

Described by some as "al Qaeda's response to the Arab Spring," extremists across the Arab world have taken to branding themselves Ansar al Sharia, or "Supporters of Islamic Law."

So far there has been no evidence linking these disparate groups together, but last year, influential Jihadist Shaykh Abu al Mundhir al Shinqiti urged Muslims to establish their own chapters of Ansar al Sharia and eventually unite them all into a single network. Currently the most prominent groups exist in Yemen, Tunisia, and Libya, and to a lesser extent in Egypt and Morocco.

4. East Turkestan Islamic Movement

The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), also known as the Turkestan Islamic Party, is a Muslim separatist movement based in northwest China's Xinjiang Province. Founded by Uighars, the Turkic-speaking ethnic majority in Xinjiang, ETIM seeks the overthrow of China's rule and the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.

ETIM members are scattered across Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan, operating primarily in safe havens along the lawless Pakistan-Afghanistan border. A recent video has surfaced of young children receiving military training at camps in Pakistan's volatile North Waziristan tribal area.

The group has alleged links to al Qaeda and several ETIM members joined al Qaeda to fight against the United States in Afghanistan, including the 22 Uighar militants that were captured and held at Guantanamo by U.S. forces.Read the full story here.