The U.S. Department of State, under President Ronald Reagan — as well as the militants themselves – attribute the assassinations to Turkey's open denial of the Armenian genocide.[11] ASALA itself[12] and other sources[13][14][15][16] described it as a guerilla and armed[17] organisation. Some sources, including the Azerbaijani[18] and American[19] departments of state, as well as the Turkish Department of Culture,[20] listed it as a terrorist organisation.[21][22][23][24][25]