Tactics of terrorism
The tactics of terrorism are diverse. As important as the actual attacks is the cultivation in the target population of the fear of such attacks, so that the threat of violence becomes as effective as actual violence. The different tactics that terrorist groups utilize can be very simple to extremely complex.
Terrorist tactics tend to favor attacks that avoid effective countermeasures and exploit vulnerabilities. As such, terrorist groups have the potential to utilize many different types of terrorism tactics depending on the circumstances and the perceived likelihood of success. Some tactics are more conventional and widely used in the operations of many terrorist groups. These tactics include shootings, hijackings, kidnappings, bombings, and suicide attacks. Other tactics are seen as more unconventional and have only been used in a few instances, if at all. However, these unconventional tactics are perceived by government officials and experts alike as serious potential threats. Some types of unconventional terrorism tactics commonly recognized by terrorism experts are bioterrorism, agroterrorism, nuclear terrorism, and cyberterrorism.
Cyberterrorism
Cyberterrorism refers to the use of computer technology by terrorists to carry out attacks that cause harm to people, property, or critical infrastructure. One of the most common tactics used by cyberterrorists is the deployment of viruses and malware to disrupt computer systems, steal sensitive information, or cause physical damage.Viruses and malware are malicious software programs designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems. They can be distributed through email attachments, infected websites, or other methods, and can have a range of impacts on a victim's computer system or network. Some of the most common types of malware include trojans, worms, and ransomware.
Terrorists can use viruses and malware to achieve a variety of goals, including stealing sensitive information, disrupting critical infrastructure, and causing physical harm. For example, a cyberattack on a power grid or transportation system could cause widespread disruptions and potentially harm people. Preventing and mitigating cyberterrorism requires a range of strategies, including increasing awareness of the risks of cyberattacks, implementing robust cybersecurity measures, and developing response plans in the event of an attack. Governments and private organizations must work together to develop effective prevention and response strategies to mitigate the risk of cyberterrorism.The use of viruses and malware by cyberterrorists poses a serious threat to national and international security. Understanding the tactics and techniques used by cyberterrorists is essential for developing effective prevention and mitigation strategies.
Other examples of cyber attacks include phishing, which can be used as a means to retrieve data from an individual via email. These emails use the practices of social engineering to gain the trust of others, and persuade them to follow the attachment or to send money, both intended to sound of an urgent nature. The attachment typically contains malware or a virus. Social engineering is a technique in which online perpetrators use manipulation in order to gain access to information. This can manifest into countless different scenarios from people claiming to be homeless and in need of assistance, to people claiming to be a part of reputable charity organizations. Both phishing and social engineering use wording, pictures, and email signatures that appear to be legitimate.
In the developing age of information technology, many political scientists and prominent government officials have become increasingly concerned about the ability of terrorist groups to execute cyber attacks and states’ vulnerabilities to these attacks. Cyberterrorism has proven itself to become an increasingly desirable tactic for terrorist groups, given that they can be executed thousands of miles away from the target and are difficult to trace back to the perpetrator. In an October 2012 speech, United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta described the seriousness of a cyber attack on the United States: “A cyber attack perpetrated by nation states or violent extremists groups could be as destructive as the terrorist attack of 9/11. Such a destructive cyber terrorist attack could paralyze the nation.” The term “cyberterrorism” was first coined by Barry Collin, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Security and Intelligence in California, in the 1980s. The Center for Strategic and International Studies defines cyberterrorism as “the use of computer network tools to shut down critical national infrastructures or to coerce or intimidate a government or civilian population.” Many experts believe that new vulnerabilities will be created as nations and their critical infrastructures become more dependent on computer networks for their operation.
While concern is growing, cyberterrorism attacks still largely remain hypothetical, especially in the United States. In his report for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, James A Lewis writes that so far cyberterrorism has meant little more than propaganda and intelligence collection, and that no critical infrastructures have ever been shut down by cyber terrorist attacks. Lewis also describes how terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda have made significant use of the Internet, but only as a tool for intra-group relations, fundraising, and public relations. An Al-Qaeda training manual entitled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants” explicates that explosives are the preferred weapon of terrorists because “explosives strike the enemy with sheer terror and fright.” While explosions are dramatic, strike fear into the hearts of opponents, and do lasting damage, cyber attacks, like some other types of terrorism tactics, simply do not have the same dramatic and political effect that terrorists seek. Some political scientists, like Lewis, argue that terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda might use cyber attacks to disrupt emergency services in order to reinforce and multiply the effect of a physical attack.
Bombings
As a consequence of globalisation, the relative ease of access to the chemicals used to make explosives has made improvised explosive devices increasingly prominent. This has the dual effect of increasing the available firepower of terrorists who are generally far weaker than their targets as well as assuring the publicity necessary to attract sympathisers to their cause.These may be implanted in buildings or placed in public spaces planted on the roadside to detonate near target vehicles, or even strapped to the bodies of individuals for suicide attacks. From a tactical perspective, each of these methods has positives and drawback; for instance, while a suicide vest has a much smaller payload than some other bombs, it may allow the wearer access to spaces and individuals that other forms cannot.
Suicide terrorism is the most aggressive form of terrorism, pursuing coercion even at the expense of losing support among terrorists' own community. What distinguishes a suicide terrorist is that the attacker does not expect to survive a mission and often employs a method of attack that requires the attacker's death in order to succeed. In essence, a suicide terrorist kills others at the same time that he kills himself. Usually these tactics are used for demonstrative purposes or as targeted assassinations. In most cases though, they target to kill a large number of people. Thus, while coercion is an element in all terrorism, coercion is the paramount objective of suicide terrorism.
The number of attacks using suicide tactics has grown from an average of fewer than five per year during the 1980s to 180 per year between 2000 and 2005, and from 81 suicide attacks in 2001 to 460 in 2005. These attacks have been aimed at diverse military and civilian targets, including in Sri Lanka, in Israel since July 6, 1989, in Iraq since the US-led invasion of that country in 2003, and in Pakistan and Afghanistan since 2005.
Between 1980 and 2000, the largest number of suicide attacks was carried out by separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of Sri Lanka. The number of attacks conducted by LTTE was almost double that of nine other major extremist organizations.
In Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, suicide bombings are an anti-Israel strategy perpetrated generally by Islamist and occasionally by secular Palestinian groups including the PFLP.
India has also been the victim of suicide attacks by groups based in Pakistan, a recent example taking place in February 2019. An attack by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed group on Indian security forces Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, India, resulted in the loss of 40 security personnel of the CRPF. This eventually resulted in the India–Pakistan border skirmishes of 2019.
Shootings
AssassinationsDespite the popular image of terrorism as bombings alone, conventional firearms are as much if not more pervasive in their use for extremism. Assassinations while not the number one tactic, are extremely commonly used to further terrorist agendas. Not only this but the frequency and number of assassinations by terrorist organizations is far larger than any other group/perpetrator. More often than not, these assassinations target political figures but this is not always the case. For example, the recent case of Samuel Paty, in which a teacher in France was beheaded over his lesson that included caricatures of the prophet Muhamed.
Mass Shootings
Shootings also take the form of less targeted but far more deadly mass shootings. Terrorists often use this tactic to employ fear as generally the targets are civilian or military and get mass amounts of media coverage. Often these mass shootings are carried out by only a singular terrorist or a small group but generally they require less man power for more damage. Yet another reason they are such a popular tactic. In the second part of the 2011 Norway attacks, 69 people were killed by Anders Behring Breivik, a man armed with two guns. Additionally In 2016, Omar Mateen killed 49 people with firearms during Orlando nightclub shooting. More recently we have seen a rise in mass shootings from lone-wolf terrorists as well.