The Militant Tool Kit: Simplicity Over Audacity
Submitted by Templar Titan on Fri, 12/03/2004 - 05:11.
Long before the U.S.-led war on terrorism brought constant attacks against
civilian and military targets to the forefront of public attention,
terrorist tactics were employed across the globe to achieve the attackers'
desired goals. Nowadays, one need only read Stratfor's daily Situation
Reports to learn of the scope of tactics and techniques used by these groups
and individuals -- usually for the purpose of killing as many people as
possible. Although each attack is unique, the militant tool kit is, in fact,
fairly limited.
Recent Stratfor reports paint the general picture: Four people were killed
and some 30 others were injured in a Nov. 1 suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. An
armored Mercedes carrying high-ranking officers from the Dagestani Interior
Ministry was seriously damaged when a roadside explosive device detonated
near Moscow on Oct. 6. Suspected Kurdish rebels ambushed a military convoy
in southeastern Turkey late Oct. 27, killing one soldier and wounding three.
In recent months, jihadist hostage-takers in Iraq have been kidnapping
people for the sole purpose of killing them.
Regardless of where a militant group operates or what its ideology might be,
in most cases it employs methods of attack that are similar to all other
such groups. Among the most common methods are suicide
kidnappings
, ambushes
and the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), including fertilizer
These tactics are employed from the Middle East to Europe to Asia and South
America -- and likely will continue to be used as long as terrorism exists.
Even the most audacious and grandiose attacks
Sept. 11 attacks in the United States and the Beslan school massacre in
Russia, for instance -- are at their core fairly simple. The first involved
ramming one object into another in an effort to destroy the target. The
latter was a hostage taking, though a particularly violent one.
The reasons for the common application of terrorist methodologies across the
ideological spectrum are obvious: they work well and are fairly
to carry out. Furthermore, because of their simplicity, they often confound
the anti-terrorism forces that are working to prevent such attacks.
Groups and individuals that employ terrorist tactics are by definition at a
tactical disadvantage when it comes to military power. They, therefore, must
operate "non-conventionally." As such, tactics that favor the unconventional
warrior will be used repeatedly -- and copied by others until they no longer
are effective.
Despite its seeming sophistication, for example, al Qaeda often prefers long
surveillance of its target and a time-tested attack plan. Additionally, the
network's fixation with aviation goes back to the Bojinka plot of 1995, in
which plans were drawn up to use commercial aircraft as weaponry.
There are variations on these tried-and-true methods among groups, each
designed to play on the specific strengths of a militant organization and/or
the weaknesses of the enemy. Using female suicide bombers to avoid raising
the suspicion of security forces, for instance, is a tactic employed by Sri
Lankan, Chechen and Palestinian groups. Employment of explosive devices will
in most cases be unique to the environment, although consistent trends are
seen throughout the world, including the use of both hard-wired and remote
detonators, placement of a triggerman with "eyes on" the target and
secondary explosives designed to impede or strike at first reactors.
Iraq is becoming a virtual laboratory for training militants and employing
new variations on the use of IEDs, as militants there are learning the best
ways to conceal devices to evade detection and to maximize casualties. These
include using dummy explosives, hiding IEDs in roadside debris, and using
highway overpasses and chokepoints as ready made kill zones. The lessons and
tactics learned eventually will be utilized -- and adapted
elsewhere. In fact, in a relatively unique adaptation, an IED was fastened
to a stray dog in Kashmir on Nov. 26 and detonated near an Indian military
bunker, killing four.
On the other hand, complicated plots or tactics often are quickly discarded.
The numerous plots by Aum Shrinkyo to stage chemical attacks in Tokyo, for
example, involved various failed methods of delivering chemicals throughout
the city. Eventually the group simply released sarin into crowded Tokyo
subways in 1995, killing 12 people and injuring thousands. The attack,
though not as grandiose as the group's citywide attack plan, was effective,
primarily because of its simplicity.
Despite their often-sophisticated training methods and their savvy leaders,
most militant groups and their members have proven to favor simplicity over
audacity when it comes to the nuts and bolts of their operations. As a
result, a handful of techniques have been used for decades -- with
devastating results.
