The Shocking Increase of Suicide Bombings

By Brigitte L. Nacos
When terrorist organizations claim to have waiting lists for eager young men and women who want to die in order to kill, they seem not to exaggerate. In the last several days alone, “human bombs” exploded in Afghanistan, Algeria, Morocco, and repeatedly in various parts of Iraq killing many dozens of civilians and a few combatants of different nationalities. Al Qaeda, groups inspired by Al Qaeda and the Taliban claimed the bulk of these so-called suicide attacks. While terrorists continue to utilize hostage-taking, improvised explosive devices, and missile attacks, they have embraced suicide strikes as their favorite method of attack. The reason is clear: From the perspective of terrorists suicide attacks are very successful and very difficult, if not impossible to defend against. As demonstrated this week in Iraq, suicide bombers were able to blow themselves up on two bridges in Baghdad, within the heavily fortified Green Zone, and in a number of other public places—in spite of the greater presence of American and Iraqi troops. Regardless of President Bush’s and Vice-President Cheney’s reasoning, more troops in Iraq for an unlimited time will not curb these homicide-suicide attacks but more likely increase them.

The history of modern suicide bombings began in 1981, when a suicide bomber attacked Iraqi Embassy in Beirut. This attack was claimed by Al Dawa (The Call), an Iranian-backed Shia group that wanted to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime. For most Americans, however, the history of the modern suicide practice dates back to 1983, when a member of the Lebanese Hezbollah drove a truck laden with explosives into the American Embassy in Beirut killing himself and more than sixty other persons. Six months later, another member of the same organization ignited a truck bomb as he drove into the U.S. Marine barracks near Beirut  airport, killing 241 Americans. Another lethal suicide attack against the French military stationed in Lebanon was carried out nearly simultaneously and resulted in the death of fifty-eight French paratroopers. Indeed, more than 500 individuals died within a one-year period, from November 1982 to November 1983, as the result of five major suicide attacks in  Lebanon. Lawrence Eagleburger, then undersecretary of state for political affairs in the Reagan administration, said at the time that it is nearly impossible to defend oneself, if a driver is willing to kill himself. American and French troops were withdrawn from Lebanon, and the Israeli Defense Forces retreated into the Southern part of the country.

From the perspective of terrorists, suicide terrorism has a number of advantages compared to other terrorist modes of attack—it is an inexpensive, effective, shocking method. As Nasra Hassan reported after interviewing 250 of the most militant Palestinians, “A Palestinian security official pointed out that, apart from a willing young man, all that is needed is such items as nails, gunpowder, a battery, a light switch, and a short cable, mercury (readily obtainable from thermometers), acetone, and the cost of tailoring a belt wide enough to hold six or eight pockets of explosives. The most expensive item is transportation to a distant Israeli town. The total cost of a typical [suicide] operation is about a hundred dollars.” Furthermore, the planners of suicide missions do not have to make escape plans and fear the arrest of their operatives. More importantly, organizations that embrace suicide attacks as their tactic of choice appreciate that this terrorist method is more likely to succeed than most other means and is sure to attract a great deal of news coverage.
It was the Lebanese Hezbollah that created the mythos of the explosives-laden martyr in the Arab world and beyond—mostly because of the TV images that were broadcast after such attacks. The result was what Christoph Reuter calls an extremely successful “martyr-marketing.” This marketing assures that there is never a shortage of individuals willing to die for a cause that they learn to perceive as far more important than their own lives. “Martyr marketing” has long spread from its beginning in  Lebanon to other parts of the world as an effective scheme to recruit mostly young men and women to die in order to kill.
That’s why suicide attacks will continue to be the preferred terrorist method--unless we find effective ways to discourage potential recruits from joining the pool of volunteers for suicide missions. 

Comments

[usman ali]

suiside attacks r not islam.or teaching of islam.there r some black sheeps who r doing this in the name of islam. i hate usma-bin-ladin &bush because both r killer.vimpires who like to drink blood of inocent humans.

[PrchrLady]

how I miss having such intelligent conversation on a topic that so interests me... I found your place here from one of the links on NQuarter. I post there occasionally but I am a bit shy... I didn't realize that you are a Professor, until after I posted, and then read summaries of some of the books you have published. Extreemely interesting topics, esp interested in media/propaganda issues r/t counter terrorism... glad I found your place here. Marlene

[Brigitte]

I couldn't agree more with you on the problems caused by the immense gap between the wealthy and the working poor. In fact, this gap also exists between the very small percentage of those with super-incomes and the middle class whose members have increasingly trouble to make ends meet--forget to pay for their children's education.
As someone who grew up in the safety-net oriented European welfare state system(that actually went overboard and thereby stifled the incentive to work), I have never understood why the most wealthy nation in the world cannot embrace mandatory health care, welfare for the least fortunate, and adequate social security.
While there is little evidence that poor people resort to terrorism, eventually leaders will emerge who resort to this sort of violence in the name of the disadvantages.

[PrchrLady]

Yes,m I agree with all you said once again. I believe that we have not seen it here as yet, is mostly due to the hope that we have held here that we would always be able to make things better for ourselves and our families in this country. I see a whole new generation of the working poor here, and we have no 'middle class' any more... if as a Nation, we do not address these issues that cause people to give up hope, I believe we will be witness to more and more 'home grown' terrorists... and the difference between those that kill themselves and those that will take the lives of others while doing so is immence... lots of anger involved for one reason or another. We just had a fired employee shoot and kill his boss and co workers here in MI... and then there are the many other such recent examples... why would some snap and do such horrible things and then there are others that seem to work things thru??

[Brigitte]

It seems that unlike Western European countries the United States has not become a breeding ground for recruits of suicide terrorism. If the number of suicides increased in the U.S. lately, that would be a development anyone in his/her right mind would very much regret. But there is, of course, a difference between people who kill themselves and those who kill themselves in order to kill others.

[PrchrLady]

Well written. I agree that there is no doubt a waiting list... if you take away all hope and make any group of people feel helpless to change anything that directly affects their health or wellbeing, eventually they will rebel and go into an offensive stance. Since bushco has assumed power, many people are feeling helpless right here in the US. I pray that this increase we can witness with the suiside bombers is not indicative of what we should expect to happen here in the US... Has anyone seen any recent (un-altered) statistics on the suicide rates here in the US??? I bet they are much higher than we are allowed to know...