FACTBOX-Abdullah Azzam Brigades and Japanese supertanker

Nov 21 (Reuters) - A Japanese oil tanker damaged in July near the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane was attacked by an al-Qaeda linked group that could carry out more strikes in the area, according to the U.S. Department of Transport.

In an advisory, it says it has concluded that a militant group's claim of responsibility for the attack was "valid". The Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed that a member of the group had launched a suicide bomb attack on the tanker on July 28.

Here are details on the group and past claims of attacks:

* BACKGROUND:

-- The group is named after Palestinian Abdullah Azzam, who led Islamic militants in Afghanistan and was killed in 1989 by a roadside bomb. Azzam is regarded as the one-time spiritual mentor of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

-- The Brigades have generally operated from the Sinai Peninsula, and have carried out attacks primarily on targets in Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. The latest claim could suggest they also have ties with the Yemen-based wing of al Qaeda.

* CLAIMS OF OTHER ATTACKS: