Category: Terrorism

Introduction

Before the attack, the terrorists carefully planned this operation, as it was supposed to be large-scale, ambitious, and have a powerful destructive character. They conducted reconnaissance, planning, and preparation for several days before the attack. The terrorist attack began because the terrorists landed on the territory of Mumbai from water transport. The terrorists took the lives of 174 people, and more than 300 people were injured; about seven buildings were attacked (Machold, 2017). The terrorist attacks had several consequences both for the world community and India in particular. Moreover, the attack led to some negative consequences for Pakistan and some other countries.

These events include the shortage of weapons, equipment, and armor for defenders, incorrect intelligence work, and the lack of protection for buildings that were potential targets for terrorists. Insufficient security at the time of the terrorist attack led to the fact that later thorough recruitment of the armed forces was carried out. Even though the plans set to work with weapons are apparent, still the results are not visible. A combination of several events led to the fact that India was not fully prepared for the attack.

Before the Attack

The policy of the Indian authorities before the incident was aimed at arming the police, which would be able to ensure the safety of the population. Indian intelligence learned in advance about the impending terrorist attack and reported it to the Indian authorities. Nevertheless, the Indian authorities have not decided on a more thorough preparation for the terrorist attack. Some of the attacked buildings were insufficiently reliably equipped with metal detectors and means of protection against terrorist attacks (Mahadevan, 2019). Still, one significant drawback of the intelligence work was the omission of the opportunity to track terrorists from arriving by sea transport.

During the Attack

During the attack, it was revealed that some of the equipment, including special suits for defenders of the civilian people, were not fully prepared for a terrorist act. This leads to the fact that corruption can flourish in the country. In addition, this attack demonstrated that the forces of the authorities and officials are not directed there and only create the appearance of some influence or action. In addition, the authorities allocated funds to purchase new equipment to protect civilians, and when it was received, a mass demonstration was held (Masood, 2020). This measure can be regarded as an ordinary theatrical action that means nothing to the population. The states policy is that the authorities only create the appearance of performing specific actions to protect the population, focusing their attention on the wrong thing.

After the Attack

Furthermore, this attack demonstrated that India would not be able to repel the attacks of the attackers due to the inability of the authorities to prioritize appropriately. After the attack, the Indian authorities began to invest more actively in units responsible for protecting the population. Still, if these measures had been taken earlier, many people would have been alive and had no serious injuries (Sonawane et al., 2020). The purchase of many weapons and military equipment led to a new series of disputes about bribery in the government apparatus.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the lesson that India showed everyone by not being ready to ensure security for its country costs a lot of human lives and health. Nevertheless, all states need to take out the main aspects of this incident: it is necessary to put more effort into protecting their people through the correct and competent allocation of state funds. It is also imperative that all intelligence groups closely monitor and consider all possible areas of terrorist activity. The authorities will be more vigilant about providing their combat structures with the necessary means of protection against attacks and will more carefully monitor intelligence work.

Furthermore, there may also be a more global conflict and an unprepared India may suffer huge losses, both in terms of population and in other aspects. The state made several wrong decisions and concentrated on the bad part of protecting its people, which led to the death and injury of hundreds of Indians. In addition, this case showed how important the safety of civilians is because this event occurred because of an attack by a terrorist group, and such attacks can be repeated. In the future, India needs to strengthen security measures to protect citizens.

References

Machold, R. (2017). Militarising Mumbai? The Politics of response. Special Issue Global Cities, 39(3), 477-498. Web.

Mahadevan, P. (2019). A decade on from the 2008 Mumbai attack: Reviewing the question of state-sponsorship. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. Web.

Masood, S. (2020). Accused mastermind of Mumbai attack convicted of links to terrorism. The New York Times. Web.

Sonawane, D. V., Garg, B. K., Chandanwale, A., Mathesul, A. A., Shinde, O. R., & Singh, S. (2020). 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack revisited: Lessons learnt and novel disaster model for future. Jamba, 12(1), 915. Web.

Abstract

Terrorism has been escalating in various states in America. Research studies have identified that the use of terrorist cells has been the reason behind the escalation. A terrorist cell contains three to five members that work together to issue a threat or attack an area in a nation. Most of these terrorists use calculated moves to ensure that they hit their target to the latter. Their actions are always destructive. The paper will therefore focus on identifying some of the means used by terrorists to enhance their success. Additionally, the paper will focus on identifying measures that military officers and law enforcement can embrace to help curb terrorism.

Introduction

A terrorist cell is where three to five members are placed to ensure operational security in a nation. A terrorist cat, on the other hand, refers to a calculated move that uses violence to attain specific religious or political goals. In most cases, terrorist actions are done through intimidation or coercion. Most of these terrorists are radicle and usually advocate violence against civilians. These cells are planned to support less than ten members who are often residents or terrorists from various nations. The members hosted in such cells are tasked with providing execution cells with licenses used by their drivers, providing lodging facilities, and procuring all the materials used to bomb a building. However, the success of these members or cells depends on the organizations and plans accorded in each plan. Additionally, the success rate of each group depends on the security measures put across in each nation.

Experts in terrorist issues associate a cell with four to ten members whose role is to work together to carry or support violent acts against a target area or a populace. However, the art of attacking a nation or a target population does not depend on the number of cells located in the area (White, 2022). But the effectiveness of each group depends on the vital component associated with each organization. In most cases, the members of each terrorist group work together to attack a particular area. This may involve studying all the escape routes that can be used to attack a site and work on maximizing the safety of all the terrorists. However, there are cases where various members of a terrorist group sacrifice their own lives by using bombs that kill them and affect a considerable population in one way or another.

Current State

In America, terrorism has been rising at a very steady rate. One of the aspects that have been contributing to the rise in crime and, more, terrorism is the accumulation of terrorist cells in America. The crime has been escalating due to the fact that most political discussions have not been deliberating on measures that can be taken to destroy some of these cells (Cragin, 2021). Failure to eliminate most of these terrorist cells have been allowing various terrorist to plan and effectively achieve their goals with minimum or no struggle. Although there has been progress in the war against terrorism, more should be done in planning and effectively destroying most of these cells so that terrorists may lack grounds where they can plan or cause destruction in any state.

Over the years, terrorist cells have been chiefly referenced and less often defined. Additionally, the concept of terrorist cells is primarily adopted in the western world. However, it is worth noting that the idea was based on the Middle-Eastern model that dates back to the 1920s (Laub, 2019). During this period, the Muslim Brotherhood gained prominence in Egypt and fought against European colonialism. The organization divided itself into quads that fought against all the Europeans that targeted colonizing the nation. The idea was if one quad, the Arabic name of a cluster of grapes, was destroyed, the other grapes or quads would carry on with the mission. The aspect means that if one group of more than ten is decoyed, the remaining nine will carry on in the mission, and the objective will be achieved easily. This is the approach utilized by the Egyptian terrorist to fight against all the troops that wanted to colonize the nation. Unfortunately, this is the approach that most American terrorists have used to conduct various attacks on the government. This means that if all these cells or groups can be dismantled, the chances of having a nation free of terrorism are high.

Despite the efforts laid down by the American government to try and fight against terrorism, cells have been thriving and achieving their goals with ease. The aspect relates to the fact that most of these terrorist cells are mobile and very flexible in changing their target. The partition created four sub-cells that targeted hijacking a typical airliner. The individuals in each cell were flexible and could move from one place to the other to master all the necessary steps to ensure that all the missions were well-accomplished.

Types of Cells

In America, two main types of terrorist cells are operational. They include the operational and the support cells. Operational terrorist cells are critical in ensuring that the mission is well-accomplished. Most of them are tasked with the role of carrying out various attacks in America. They usually receive multiple forms of training that allow them to conduct specific attacks in targeted states. Most of these cells are made of nine or eleven well-trained members. The other group of support cells operating in America is the support terrorist cells. Most of these support cells are hard to quantify as they are distributed across the nation. These cells play a critical role in ensuring that all the members in the operational cells get all the resources they need to conduct various attacks.

Additionally, the support cells provide all the training services that operational cells. All the movements conducted by each cell, including planning for the next attack, are designed and funded by the support cells. Therefore, even after an attack, several cells will remain in operation even if all the members involved in the attack are killed. The aspect means that the support cells will remain viable and active even if an attack is sabotaged or even after the mission fails to be accomplished. The element indicates that even after an operation cell is discovered and destroyed, a support cell can organize another attack within hours, and the mission will be accomplished as planned.

Challenges

In America, the exact number of terrorist cells is unknown. Additionally, research studies have shown that it is difficult to know where specific terrorist cells are located. The aspect has been curtailing the war against terrorists in America, as the only way to go about this issue is to destroy all the cells in the nation. Unfortunately, locating some of these terrorist cells in America has been very difficult, with officers in the country preferring to act after an incident. Additionally, most security officers are less informed on the structure of each cell. Experts in terrorism claim that it is complicated for law enforcers in America to destroy all the terrorist cells as the formation of these groups is ultimately complex and unknown to many (White & Chermak, 2021)). Most of these cells conceal that information in decision-making, especially when it comes to the art of deciding who will actively participate in conducting an attack or the individuals who will work in the support cell to ensure that a mission is well-established and accomplished.

Although a lot of efforts have been deployed to counter the effect of these terrorist cells, it is the higher time for the security officers or law enforcers in America to embrace other strategies to curb this vice once and for a long time. Research studies have shown that the body has its mechanism of fighting against unwanted cells. For instance, all foreign organisms in the body are fought using other cells. The American government, led by the law enforcers, should use the same analogy to fight against these terrorist cells that have been deteriorating the security aspect of the nation. The element means that the security officers in the country can create smaller anti-terrorist cells that will work against all the terrorist cells. These anti-terrorist cells will likely have the upper hand over all the terrorists as they will receive more resources from the US government. Additionally, their flexibility and mobility will be enhanced by the enormous support they will receive from the government. The aspect means that it will be easier to deal with all the attacking and violence-based cells in the nation.

Effective Solutions

Constructing a centralized database between the FBI, ATF, NSC, CIA, and other local and state enforcement agencies will play a critical role in accessing all the information needed to deal with terrorists. The art of accessing the database by all the counter-terrorism cells will be essential in making decisions and moves that will sabotage all the plans of terrorists (White & Chermak, 2021)). Additionally, the database will help identify all the enemies the law enforcers should target to eliminate. However, all of these will depend on the intelligence of the security officers in charge, as the terrorist cells are also made up of individuals who are experts in various means of attacks. The aspect means that if the anti-terrorist cells do not outwit the terrorist cells, it would be a waste of time to structure them and channel resources in their way.

The law enforcer needs to do away with the traditional intelligence as terrorists have been advancing for years. For instance, if the conventional means of reacting to an attack follows the CIA procedure, the solution or the remedy of the attack may take days before it is initiated. Using modern and civilized intelligence actions will be critical in ensuring that the security agencies respond to any attack within hours and not days. Additionally, the anti-terrorist cells should divide their members into groups with different tasks. Some might be given the role of loitering around the ground where the agencies suspect an attack (Hegghammer, 2021). Such a plan is critical in sabotaging any terrorist goals. Additionally, such a move allows the anti-terrorist team to react immediately and prevent further destruction that would otherwise occur if they delay reaching the targeted area.

The other aspect that has been affecting how the law enforcers in America respond to terrorism is the weapons they use. Research studies have shown that the current military hardware was manufactured to destroy the enemies using other militant hardware. This may involve killing a large number of enemies using various weapons. However, terrorists have been advancing in terms of having sophisticated machines that aim to deny all the militants the opportunities to utilize their weapons. In such a situation, the militants cannot attack such facilities with massive explosives as this might cause more damage to the entire building and the loss of innocent lives. The US militants and law enforcement should focus on using other means, such as controlling everything in a state. Such a move will be critical in ensuring that all the people entering the state are well-known, and identifying suspects will be easy.

The world has been changing over time; nowadays, individuals in different terrorist cells have been using the internet to communicate. The aspect means that various militants in the nation can use multiple internet connections to track all the moves made by these terrorists. However, volumes of people have been using the internet for numerous reasons. (Newhouse, 2021). The aspect means that monitoring all the activities on the internet becomes impossible, more so for the military officers tasked with fighting against all the terrorist cells. For instance, the Zulu members once used to create chat rooms of at least four members irrespective of where they were.

Instead of using the same chat for upcoming events, the members would make a new chat room and delete any existing spaces. The aspect means that following a single plan becomes difficult for the law enforcers and the militants (Hegghammer, 2021). Vehemently, more terrorists have been using anonymous ways of signing up on various social media platforms. Some use ghost names that never exist. For these reasons, tracking them has become very difficult socially with the current internet traffic. However, the law enforcers and other security agencies, both at the state and the local level, should not relent on the war against this terrorist. More sophisticated means should be used to trace and analyze the database containing terrorist information. This will go far in identifying areas where these terrorist cells are and can be deployed to eliminate terrorism in the nation effectively.

Conclusion

Terrorist cells comprise three to four individuals tasked with conducting an attack in a targeted area. In most cases, the cells may contain up to ten individuals given different parts. In America, two types of terrorist cells are operational. They include the operational and the support cells. All the individuals work together to ensure that the target mission is well-accomplished. Terrorists in a support cell provide the necessary resources and coaching for an attack to be effective. Individuals in an operational cell work hard to ensure that the attack is conducted in the targeted destination. Since it has been difficult for the law enforcers in the US to deal with these terrorists, there is a need to create other anti-terrorist cells to help in curbing all the plans of these terrorists. Use of sophisticated means to compile data and access various database can be effective in identifying some of the terrorists that are likely to affect the nation. With the changes that have been observed in the entire globe, the military officers and other law enforcers need to embrace technology in their war against terrorists. The use of traditional and less sophisticated machines should be replaced with modern and more sophisticated machines to ease the war against terrorists in the nation.

References

Cragin, R. K. (2019). Preventing the Next Wave of Foreign Terrorist Fighters: Lessons Learned from the Experiences of Algeria and Tunisia. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 44(7), 543564. Web.

Hegghammer, T. (2021). Resistance Is Futile: The War on Terror Supercharged State Power. Foreign Aff. 100, 44. Web.

Laub, Z. (2019). Egypts Muslim Brotherhood. Council on Foreign Relations. Web.

Newhouse, A. (2021). The Threat Is the Network: The Multi-Node Structure of Neo-Fascist Accelerationism. Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Web.

White, J. R., & Chermak, S. (2021). Terrorism and Homeland Security (010 Ed.). Cengage Learning.

Introduction

The operation codenamed Anaconda is a military operation that was conducted by the US-led international coalition against the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. This operation was planned to use the classic tactical scheme of the hammer and anvil. This idea was not new, but in the second half of the XX century, the appearance of airmobile units significantly expanded the possibilities of its use (Caruso, 2018). This operation is a strong example for military commanders, as it demonstrates the ability to apply the principles of mission command. These principles are unique in that they can overcome unforeseen situations and enable the army to fully realize its potential. Operation Anaconda has become one of the most revealing since it is in it that the principles of mission command are most successfully applied.

Principles of Mission Command

Mission command is an essential and integral element of the conduct of military operations. It is necessary for the ability to command and control military forces to be in balance and contribute to positive results. Management is required to correctly direct parties to the plans of the commander-in-chief. Mission command has a deeper meaning as it is aimed at building the course of hostilities considering the nature of operations, using the philosophy of command (Kugler, 2007). This philosophy implies the application of six basic principles. These principles include creating teams based on trust, showing disciplined initiative, ensuring a common understanding of goals, creating a particular commanders intention, applying mission orders in practice, and using reasonable risk. Using these principles, US soldiers managed to succeed, although not without difficulty.

Cohesive teams are a prerequisite and one of the basic principles of mission command. The lack of mutual trust between soldiers can lead to a misunderstanding of goals and actions, which will eventually cause a loss. Because the soldiers of the US Army acted together, they managed to achieve positive results in the military operations of Operation Anaconda (Kugler, 2007). Undoubtedly, most of the success of the soldiers work is ensured by the correct position of the commanders and the proper instructions. Nevertheless, because the army acted as a whole, it managed to be more effective than its rivals.

The second principle is that commanders can provide their subordinates with an understanding of the overall mission. That is, the commanders were able to formulate specific goals and ways to achieve these goals for the common good of the entire army. The third principle is also the correct formulation of intentions. Throughout the operation, the leadership provided soldiers with information about targets, possible obstacles, and the number of enemy troops (Caruso, 2018). In this case, intelligence played an important role, as well as the ability of commanders to give orders per information about the current state of affairs.

The ability to act at a reasonable risk is one of the six basic principles. Throughout the battle, the commanders received valuable information from intelligence, which made it possible to determine which actions should be taken and which should be abandoned (Kugler, 2007). To implement this principle, the commanders had to assess what risks were reasonable, as well as determine a strategy to mitigate possible negative consequences. Another principle is the ability to use mission orders, which ensured that soldiers would clearly follow orders and respond quickly to changes. The last principle is the ability to show disciplined initiative. Taking the initiative means taking action in the absence of orders, when existing orders do not correspond to the situation or threats arise (ADRP 6-0, 2012). This principle was implemented by sending fighters to concentrate on the primary mission and purpose of military operations.

The US command declared Operation Anaconda a significant success for the coalition, but this statement was ambiguously perceived in army circles. Following the results of the Anaconda, a lively discussion unfolded about why due attention was not paid to the aviation component of the coalition forces at the planning stage (Caruso, 2018). This led to great difficulties in the interaction of ground units with strike aircraft. The experience of this operation led to an improvement in the mechanisms of interaction between the US Air Force and the US Army.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Operation Anaconda has become one of the most significant an example of an operation in which commanders applied six basic principles of mission command. This principle implies the cohesion of soldiers, reasonable risk, contributing to a common understanding of goals, the ability to formulate intentions, the ability to show disciplined initiative, and the ability to use mission orders. However, in addition to these principles, Operation Anaconda required the use of the air force, namely the aviation component of the coalition forces. This element of military operations has not received due attention, which was a significant mistake. In the future, the US Army and the Air Force established communication and improved the mechanism of interaction. Operation Anaconda was one of the main examples of the successful application of the six principles but missed another important element of the battle.

References

ADRP 6-0. (2012).

Caruso, D. (2018) Operation Anaconda. The Oral History Review, 39(2), 334-336.

Kugler, R. (2007). Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan [PDF document].

Modern terrorism is attracted to the media, and some extreme terrorist groups use it since it is the role of the media to report on any significant event. Moreover, extreme terrorist acts use the media since spectacular and dramatic terrorism aspects fascinate the public. However, terrorism should not impact the significance attributed to the freedom of information and expression in the media since it is one of the essential democratic society foundations. Expression and information freedom carry with them the public right to information, especially on issues that constitute the public, including terrorism and associated threats and acts. Despite modern terrorists using the media to attract maximum attention worldwide, the fight against terrorism should not be the excuse governments use to limit press freedom.

In the modern age, terrorism has become a media component, and terrorists know and apply media principles to attract attention to nearly all of their threats and activities. Terrorists own essential technical equipment like internet facilities and video cameras, which they use to time and create images that guarantee maximum media impact (Silke 41). Governments use the dynamic to conclude that the best option to counter terrorism is to limit media reports and journalists on events and activities on terrorism. Alternatively, governments consider the other way to restrict the public from information and expression freedom is to inhibit coverage as much as possible (Seib 63). Several countries across the globe have considered and even implemented this strategy as their first option, which makes it hard for people in such countries to have events or information access on terrorism-related activities.

To a great extent, one characteristic of modern democracy is the expression of freedom and access to relevant societal or political information. Once terrorist-related information is blocked by governments, terrorists achieve one of their goals, which is to compromise modern democracy values (Nacos 32). With this comes the fundamental dilemma where on the one hand, media coverage becomes a terrorism tool to maximize public attention. On the other hand, inhibiting such information denies the public from accessing its essential information and expression freedom, which threatens the principle (Silke 43). For example, a significant conclusion in Europe would be that terrorists have victory over governments when political institutions compromise European freedom values, which constitute information and expression freedom to prevent terrorism-related activity (Prunckun and Troy 23). Cautiously, using terrorism may exclude the necessity to report any significant violent attack within the society; therefore, governments must consider their options when determining how to deal with counterterrorism.

Terrorism and terrorism-related threats and activities are not always media-related. Journalists frequently find themselves affected by terror-related activities where they become tools for negotiation, are killed as hostages, or become attack commentators and interpreters (Silke 45). With this understanding, journalists and the media have several active participation in violent crimes. Since the media is an instrument for free information flow, journalism forms a critical group in how democracy is realized. Therefore, they deserve societal and political special appreciation and protection, especially on any attack against their values.

The best possible solution to the challenge faced by the media, where governments restrict the free flow of information, is to establish cooperation between political institutions and the public without compromising media independence. On its part, the media should regard journalists as protection against harmful attacks. Like every other citizen, journalists and the complete information and expression system deserve more than ordinary political system support (Nacos 33). Since journalists form part of a particular risk group, they must profit from specific measures like scenarios where political and societal institutions simulate possible violent acts (Seib 67). Further, media institutions should educate journalists on ways they can and should react to protect themselves without compromising their freedom and sovereignty.

Acting in cooperation means being prepared; however, that does not mean expression freedom is at stake. Moreover, it does not mean that executive and political powers must be limited in how they legally protect their democratic systems (Prunckun and Troy 27). Instead of regarding themselves as conflict partners in their entirety, the media and political institutions should share one common interest. That is, every journalists life and that any other citizen within the society is the most valuable good (Nacos 35). When this understanding is established between the two groups, it forms the foundation for democratic development.

Modern terrorism uses the media to report its threats and activities. However, governments should not use their power to restrict the media from covering terror-related events. In so doing, terrorists gain against the fundamental freedom of expression and information, which forms one of the modern democracy characteristics. The central challenge governments create against the media is using their power to restrict the free flow of information to the public. The essay shows the best possible solution to the problem is to establish cooperation between journalists and political institutions. However, the solution is twofold. On the one hand, the media should regard journalists protection against any possible harm; on the other hand, even with cooperation between the two institutions, political institutions must not compromise media independence.

Work Cited

Nacos, Brigitte L. Terrorism and Counterterrorism. Sixth ed. Routledge. 2019.

Prunckun, Hank, and Troy Whitford. Terrorism and Counterterrorism: A Comprehensive Introduction to Actors and Actions. Lnne Rienner Publishers, Inc. 2019.

Seib, Philip. As Terrorism Evolves: Media, Religion, and Governance. Cambridge University Press. 2017.

Silke, Andrew. Routledge Handbook of Terrorism and Counterterrorism. Routledge. 2020.

Ku Klux Klan was created in 1865 after the American Civil War and for its history, this mysterious organization lived through several rebirths of it. Unfortunately, KKK still exists, but the number of people and their influence is much smaller. This work will be about the terrorist part of the Klan and its similarities and diversities to other types of domestic terrorism that exist in our contemporary time.

While researchers consider that the organization is not originally terroristic, but a secret society with vague goals, the number of victims rose commensurate with the increase in the number of people in the organization. Their objects of terror were not only black people but also every white person who came from the north to work among black people was attacked by terrorists. After the beginning of the second Klan they started to form groups out of children, who are unable to make their own decisions. Such acts are peculiar to other terroristic organizations. They even used children in marches, like KonKlave in 1925.

In 2012 seventeen-year-old Thomas Lane murdered three students in his school café. He did not explain why he did that and was sentenced to three life terms in prison. Ku Klux Klan acts were similar to many terroristic acts because their explanations were never understandable to society. They were never afraid to break the law using weapons they had at that time and usually acted in groups having precise plans to leave no witnesses.

Ku Klux Clan is one of the most dangerous and mysterious organizations in the history of the United States. Their acts were always frightening and unexplainable to the society they lived in. The thing that connects them with every terroristic act is the opinion that they can judge people and take peoples lives, because of their beliefs. Hopefully, another rebirth of Ku Klux Klan will never happen again.

Issues of peace, war, and terrorism involve complex moral dilemmas. Considering war and terrorism, one might argue that they are significantly different. War is an armed confrontation between the parties to protect their interests. Terrorism, in turn, is a manifestation of violence aimed at inspiring fear (Scheffler, 2006). Their difference is that there are specific rules, laws, and goals in war, while terrorist actions are hidden and unjustified. While one may view terrorism as a type of freedom struggle, it only breeds fear, destroying society, and therefore cannot give freedom and justice.

The argument that can be used to defend the prospect that a terrorist is a freedom fighter is that, in this way, the individual wants to be heard and to protect their interest. However, it is worth disagreeing since the threat and fear brought by such actions only destroys and cannot be the basis for a reasonable goal. Such intimidation tactics that bring many losses to the civil population should always remain illegitimate.

Wars also bring significant losses and destruction, but they can be just. They must be conducted under the rulers authority, not a private person, and have reasonable goals and honest intentions (Aquinas, n.d.). In some cases, war is inevitable, for example, defending against attack, and the party can only act morally  strive for peace and comply with military laws. For example, torture is a law violation and should not be used in war under any circumstances.

However, it is worth noting that the world is changing, and new ways of waging wars are emerging, which may force people to reconsider their views on specific phenomena. Lin (2011) notes that drones can perform human tasks, but it remains unclear what laws apply to them. Their presence raises questions about the drones accuracy in order execution, potential technological errors, and whether the rule applies to them. Thus, many issues of peace and war still require study, consideration, and regulation, but it is essential to avoid senseless casualties and cruelty.

References

Aquinas, T. (n.d.). Summa theologica. Web.

Lin, P. (2011). Drone-ethics briefing: What a leading robot expert told the CIA. The Atlantics. Web.

Scheffler, S. (2006). Is terrorism morally distinctive? The Journal of Political Philosophy, 14(1), 1-17.

There are five categories of counterterrorism approaches, including proactive, defensive, coercive, long-term, and persuasive. The primary strategy used by America for several decades is the coercive method. It employs a criminal justice and war model to deal with terror activities and terrorists (Tan, 2018). While wars occur within legal regulations, coercive techniques implemented in the war model tend to utilize maximal force for idealized, quick, and effective (Shad & Iqbal, 2020). Nevertheless, the US must consider a hybrid of two or more strategies for better comprehensiveness and effectiveness.

How Defensive and Proactive Approaches Can Complement the Coercive Method

The defensive approach presumes that terror attacks of some sort are inevitable and takes measures to prepare for them through prevention and mitigation. The defensive strategy can complement the coercive method through the preventive model, which involves hardening the targets, regulating and monitoring the flow of people and goods, and protecting critical infrastructure (Vorsina et al., 2019). Using this strategy, America will prevent active terrorists attacks within its boundaries. In addition to preventing attacks, the defensive approach will complement coercive approaches when responding to attacks that have already materialized. While responding to attacks, the government uses the psychosocial, public health, and natural disaster models. Therefore, the defensive model only complements the coercive approach in preparation for and response to terror attacks.

The proactive strategy complements the coercive approach by ensuring that terror attacks do not materialize. Using this method, America would use all its available resources to detect and stop terror plots and plans before they develop (Tan, 2018). The intelligence model is the central strength of proactive counterterrorism. The strategy would reduce the need for coercive methods because terror attacks would be significantly reduced and terrorist groups would be weakened.

When and How to Use Defensive and Proactive Strategies

While the defensive strategy is used at every stage of the counterterrorism process, the proactive approach is applicable primarily before terror attacks materialize. The proactive method requires multidisciplinary cooperation where external and internal security bodies such as domestic police, customs, border officials, and intelligence agencies, collaborate to monitor and track the movement of goods, services, and people to detect terror activities before they mature. For instance, the criminal justice engages in intelligence policing, use of informers and sting operations, early arrests, and preventive detention. Intelligence agencies broaden their surveillance, increase profiling, manage violence radicalization, and counter financing of terror activities. Military groups focus on targeted killings, surveillance drones, intervening in failing and failed states to suppress militant groups and terror activities. Intrusive techniques are also included in proactive counterterrorism, including surveillance, spycraft, eavesdropping, and wiretapping. The focus is to disrupt terrorist plots before developing too far.

In defensive counterterrorism, America can implement preventive and mitigation measures. The government can make targets such as prominent people, certain places, and particular events difficult and less attractive to terror attacks, diverting potential activities towards less costly and damaging areas. Identifying critical infrastructure for protection can be contentious, as stakeholders do not agree on them. Nevertheless, they are in the areas of industries, energy, banking, communications, transport, shopping malls, and urban residences (Vorsina et al., 2019). Most of these infrastructures are controlled by the private sector, which does not allow interventions from the government. Tracking the movement of services, people, and goods can deny terrorists access to weapons, food, financing, travel documents, shelter, communications, and other amenities. Mitigation responses must treat attacks as natural disasters because kill and wound people, destroy infrastructure, cause panic, are unpredictable, attract media coverage, and require urgent intervention from rescuers (McIlhatton et al., 2019). Health systems must be prepared to deal with the aftermaths of a terror attack.

Benefits to Counterbalance the Negatives of Coercive Approach

Proactive and defensive counterterrorism provide benefits that will counterbalance the negatives of coercive strategies. Defensive approaches aim at preventing and mitigating attacks, which will eliminate the need for coercive counterterrorism or reduce the resources and efforts used in the war model (McIlhatton et al., 2019). By thwarting terror plots before they mature and shifting attacks to softer targets, defensive strategies strengthen Americas resilience against terror attacks through better collaborations between agencies and bodies in security sector and investment in top-notch technologies and training. The mitigation aspect of defensive counterterrorism also reinforces the countrys health system, response coordination, media, and citizens approach to disasters (Crelinsten, 2018). For example, America will develop a strong command and communication structure for managing such crises, train its citizens on responding to active attacks, and empower the policing and health system for such major attacks.

If proactive counterterrorism is effectively practiced, America would experience les attacks over time. The intelligence model emphasizes us of a broader focus, high-level investigator training, improved surveillance and data access, and detection procedures (Crelinsten, 2018). The benefit here would be to focus on strong and resilient in country processes rather than coercively suppressing terrorism outside its borders. This approach also improves collaboration and coordination between government security agencies and the private sector. Coercive counterterrorism that majors on the criminal law and justice system delays the process and appears to favor terrorists because their operations may continue while they await judgment (Shad & Iqbal, 2020). Proactive methods advocate for early arrests and detention to prevent this likelihood. Overall, a hybrid approach is the most effective in countering terror activities and responding to attacks.

References

Crelinsten, R. (2018). Conceptualising counterterrorism. In Routledge Handbook of Terrorism and Counterterrorism (pp. 363-374). Routledge.

McIlhatton, D., Arnold, A., Chapman, J. D., Monaghan, R., Ouillon, S., & Bergonzoli, K. (2019). Current considerations of counter terrorism in the risk management profession. Journal of applied security research, 14(3), 350-368.

Shad, M. R., & Iqbal, S. (2020). The Criminal Justice and War Model in Understanding Counterterrorism in Pakistan. Journal of Research in Social Sciences, 8(1), 141-154.

Tan, A. T. (2018). Evaluating counter-terrorism strategies in Asia. Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, 13(2), 155-169.

Vorsina, M., Manning, M., Sheppard, J., & Fleming, C. M. (2019). Social dominance orientation, fear of terrorism and support for counter-terrorism policies. Australian Journal of Political Science, 54(1), 99-113.

Introduction

Terrorism remains a massive issue in many countries, resulting in deaths and high costs. For example, according to recent studies, in 2016, terrorist actions cost African regions $15.5 billion in economic damages¹. This number is ten times bigger than that from 2007 when the cost to the economy was estimated at US$1.54 billion (United Nations Development Programme 2019). Africas part of the global financial impact of terrorism rose from 4.2% in 2007 to 20.3% in 2016 (United Nations Development Programme 2019). Consequently, extremism and terrorism in Africa have a negative impact on the countries of this region, which prompts the states to implement multiple counterterrorism measures. Nevertheless, such a country as Nigeria proves to have a controversial system of counterterrorism due to underdeveloped military and non-military approaches.

Aim

Considering Nigerias high rates of terrorism and extremism, it is vital to illuminate the governments strategies to eliminate the terrorist cells and extremist groups and mitigate the consequences of such occurrences. The given work aims to analyze Nigerias tactics and their efficiency in terrorist and extremist acts. Additionally, it is necessary to explore possible strategic solutions to the identified gaps in counterterrorism measures of the state.

Conceptual Clarification

Terrorism includes domestic terrorism that is usually carried out to overturn the state or gain local political benefit. Meanwhile, international terrorism denotes violent acts committed with the goal of causing national or global security damage (Eji 2016). In Nigeria, the acts of ethnic and religious groups and the state that can be defined as terrorism have been documented throughout national history (Eji 2016). Terrorism in Nigeria has shown itself in numerous forms, notably as part of larger conflict contexts.

Because of the massive economic cost of terrorism, the four nations are regarded as epicenters of violent extremism. These countries include Nigeria, Mali, Somalia, and Libya (United Nations Development Programme 2019). One country that has experienced the most economic consequences of terrorism is Nigeria. Nigeria reached 89% of the overall US$109 billion damage during the ten-year timeframe (United Nations Development Programme 2019). Meanwhile, the counterterrorism measures of the government are believed to be questionable.

Conceptual Framework

In order to gain an insight into the terrorism situation in Nigeria and the counterterrorism measures of the states authorities, several factors must be examined. Among the factors that will be further discussed are military and non-military interventions. With the help of a literature review, it will be possible to understand to what extent each measure tends to be helpful and whether there are gaps in the governments initiatives toward extremism and terrorism.

Discussion

When it comes to Nigerias counterterrorism national policy, it is mainly ingrained in the governments National Counter-Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST). It was approved for execution by the leader Goodluck Jonathan in 2014². The revised version was issued in 2016 under President Buharis presidency (Eji 2016). It covers topics such as the essence of Nigerias terrorist threat, action rules and mechanisms, and the responsibilities of stakeholders and organizations involved in counter-terrorism (Eji 2016). The strategy is divided into five processes, each with its own set of goals.

For more than a decade, this governments pursuit of a helpful strategy to genuinely eliminate terrorism has resulted in the oscillation of many techniques that have failed to generate the desired result. For example, the Nigerian militarys professional competence in counterterrorism has been doubted (Eji 2016). This is particularly the case in civil-military interactions, human rights enforcement, and military participation norms in particular. Furthermore, the terrorists have changed tactics in counterinsurgency, putting the Nigerian army to the test in terms of capabilities (Eji 2016). While the Nigerian military was able to reclaim territory controlled by terrorists using conventional technologies, it could not deal with the militants unorthodox strategies of suicide bombers, kidnappings, and guerilla warfare.

The diplomatic method entails international collaboration through alliances and collective measures by governments against terrorism. The realization that no nation can combat terrorism alone has increased the importance of foreign policy (Eji 2016). Nigeria has sought to surround itself with allies and neighboring countries to fight against Boko Haram (Eji 2016). This has taken the shape of regional and international operations against the organization and offers for cooperative development of the Lake Chad Basin region, where Boko Haram has sought refuge (Eji, 2016). President Buhari visited all of the countrys neighboring nations and the U.K, the U.S., and France, in 2015, in an attempt to obtain both diplomatic and military support in combating terrorism in Nigeria (Eji 2016). However, it is noteworthy that such attempts are futile without additional efforts.

On the other hand, diplomatic initiatives are potentially complementary to other attempts, which means that these attempts can only be effective if the government involved has set other policies at the regional level. In another respect, international collaboration can only be beneficial if local counterterrorism actions are suitable and durable (Eji 2016). The implication is that Nigeria should organize the policies and other areas to develop a long-term and efficient nationwide counterterrorism tactic that will guide its initiatives and the initiatives of state and international associates who will support or take an interest in assisting it.

Recognizing that the warfare paradigm has failed to decrease the terrorism rates but has significantly increased the death toll in warzones, along with rising criticism, may have prompted the government to evaluate the use of non-military measures. The new effort involved a deradicalization campaign called Operation Safe Corridor³. The campaign has been created under Nigerias overall approach to counterterrorism, with the primary goal being the deradicalization, restoration, and reconciliation of Boko Haram opposition groups. The background of non-military Boko Haram approaches traces back to 2013. That year the northern elite pushed growing demands on the Jonathan-led administration for a political strategy to solve the crisis, emphasizing the issues links to socioeconomic disparity and marginalization (Onapajo & Ozden 2020). In 2017, the authorities restarted a deradicalization campaign, Operation Safe Corridor, to pursue the earlier effort (Onapajo & Ozden 2020). This ia a comprehensive program aimed to eliminate relapses of extremists.

The initiative primarily targets remorseful insurgents rather than the general public for a 52-week intense exercise. It is centered on deradicalization therapy, vocational education, and primary and religious education in preparation for social reintegration (Onapajo & Ozden 2020). The reintroduced people are anticipated to be watched after the government has gathered their DNA and biometrics to avoid relapse and confirm that they no longer pose a serious risk.

Analysis / Strategic Solutions

At this time, the Nigerian deradicalization measure is beset by a slew of issues that threaten to undermine the projects fundamental goals. Regrettably, a poor deradicalization effort increases the publics risk (Onapajo & Ozden 2020). This is because those who are poorly deradicalized have a high inclination to rejoin the organization and become more toughened since they need to overcommit themselves to demonstrate their contribution to the team.

In addition to the mentioned projects and strategies, there are programs and efforts to improve international collaboration. This is due to the need for improved border security and relations with neighboring nations and to also develop the trust of foreign partners, both state and non-state entities. Lastly, there is the requirement of public and private sector engagement or an all-stakeholders model in which the whole state and community commitment are channeled in combatting terrorism. It is critical to consider means and methods of improving the performance of counter-terrorist organizations to fulfill the goals of terrorism containment. A greater focus would be placed on strengthening the capability of security services. Considering that are the federal programs that will encourage and sustain the counterterrorism policy.

Conclusion

Hence, during the ten-year timeframe, Nigeria faced US$109 billion in damage from terrorist and extremist acts. The authorities of Nigeria implemented both military and non-military programs as counterterrorism measures. Nevertheless, both initiatives prove to have minimal effect on the contemporary situation. While military initiatives cannot tackle the issues of suicide bombers, kidnappings, and guerilla warfare, a deradicalization campaign is vulnerable to relapses of the former terrorists. Therefore, many other strategies must be implemented, such as border security and reinforced international relations.

Recommendations

Consequently, more research needs to be done regarding the complex topic of terrorism and extremism in Nigeria. In order to cause changes in the country, various new policies must be introduced that could build community resilience and reinforce national security. Among the objectives is to enhance better governance and democratization for economic and social progress, the lack of which is said to have had a role in the rise of terrorism in Nigeria.

References

1. United Nations Development Programme. 2019. Measuring the Economic Impact of Violent Extremism Leading to Terrorism in Africa. UNDP.
2. Eji, Eugene. 2016. Rethinking Nigerias Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The International Journal of Intelligence, Security, and Public Affairs, 18(3), 198-220.
3. Onapajo, Hakeem, & Ozden, Kemal. 2020. Non-Military Approach Against Terrorism in Nigeria: Deradicalization Strategies and Challenges in Countering Boko Haram. Security Journal, 33(3), 476-492.

Abstract

The United States is among the major countries that target terrorist groups such as Ansar al-Din. This paper has presented a research paper addressing domestic intelligence collection and analysis of the Ansar al-Din terrorist group. According to the hypothetical terrorist attack, the Ansar al-Din can cause a dangerous attack via important State facilities such as the Hoover Dam. Therefore, there is a need to collect and analyze domestic intelligence on Ansar al-Dins strategic moves to conduct terrorism in the State. Some of the main methods that can be used to collect domestic intelligence include Signal intelligence (SIGINT), Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), and Human Intelligence (HUMINT).

This information is analyzed effectively through ONSIT, HUMINT, and SIGINT strategies. These strategies can combat the terrorism strategies of Ansar al-Din and maintain the security of the State. This can be facilitated by analyzing the collaboration between the FBI, Homeland Security, and National Security Agency.

Introduction

Terrorist organizations such as Ansar al-Din will likely disrupt the US homeland security system. Homeland security has got to employ domestic intelligence fully to fight such attacks and lessen the impact of the terrorist actions carried out by this organization. Different intelligence tactics are used by various intelligence organizations, including the FBI and the whole National Security Agency (NSA), to prevent the group from engaging in terrorist acts (Barrett & Parker, 2018). This paper aims to evaluate the measures implemented by the intelligence agencies to gather and analyze information about Ansar al-Din that is currently available to grasp their terrorist tactics and targets.

Brief Overview of the Hypothetical Attack

This hypothetical attack involves the simulation of a terrorist attack by the Ansar al-Din. Ansar al-Dins interests are considered odd to the interests of the United States. According to the hypothetical attack, Ansar al-Din focuses on the structure of the State but not the middle of cities while planning attacks. However, the group is unlikely to have recruited agents from the State to ease their attack by trafficking explosives (Barrett & Parker, 2018).

The act of terrorism is conducted in various ways, where one of them involves disabling and blocking the states infrastructure and apparatus. One of the main target areas where terrorism can happen in the United States is the Hoover Dam. This is because the dams destruction can limit water supply to major cities, irrigation schemes, and industries in the State, such as Las Vegas and Henderson. Moreover, this can limit hydroelectric power generation and cause floods that will kill many US citizens.

Domestic Intelligence Collection

Describe what it Entails

Information obtained within or outside the USA that relates to a specific threat to national security is referred to as intelligence. The intelligence officer converts these needs into specifications for information collecting. Command components equipped to gather information are responsible for doing so (Hellmuth, 2018). In order to advise the commander of the adversarys most likely course of action, the intelligence officer analyses the information obtained, primarily from the enemy, analyzes it in light of enemy capabilities, and provides the commander with this information. Many persons in many roles make decisions for operational and governmental policies, and each one requires information gathering (Hellmuth, 2018).

Such information can be distributed concurrently to government actors engaged in operations and decision-making, as well as to intelligence sources and analysts of intelligence studies. However, a recent and crucial component of a contemporary intelligence system is a central intelligence reference service, which gives data gathered and created in the past.

Domestic Collection Efforts within the US

Effort One

One type of information acquired is signals intelligence (SIGINT). This requires intercepting signals that are sent singly or using communication intelligence. The National Intelligence Security Agency (NSA) is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting on signals within the USA (Jones et al., 2020). In this situation, data on Ansar al-plans Dins potential for terrorist acts can be gathered by the national intelligence agencies in the United States. This technique entails compiling communication, electronic, and messaging data from the Ansar al-Din organization to acquire intelligence. With this engagement, the United States would significantly increase its efforts to thwart possible terrorist strikes by the Ansar al-Din group.

Effort Two

The second sort of intelligence is imagery intelligence (IMINT). It examines the examination of visual photography and electro-optics. Its owner is the National Geospatial Agency (NGA) (Jones et al., 2020). The hyperspectral sensor gathers many images, automatically filtered, equalized, and mosaiced with the clean photos using artificial intelligence before being transmitted to the ground station (Jones et al., 2020). if desired, of data capture only the finished result. The artificial in combatingintelligence algorithms learning process utilized existing space mission data. The US can gather information about Ansar al-Din via satellite technology. This effort is very effective to combat terrorism in the United States.

Effort Three

The third strategy is the collection of human intelligence (HUMINT). The CIAs National Clandestine Service (NCS), which collects intelligence from people, oversees doing so (Hellmuth, 2018). According to conventional wisdom, HUMINT has long been associated with the classic intelligence agent, the spy, and criminal acts (Hellmuth, 2018). The truth is that the so-called HUMINT activities are quite useful in the business world, whether during security interviews to find potential insiders within the corporation or during negotiation talks (Hellmuth, 2018). In order to prevent terrorist strikes by Ansar al-Din, the United States can deploy HUMINT activities like reconnaissance, surveillance, and counter-surveillance.

IC Members

Best Collectors of Intelligence Overseas

These organizations handle both domestic and international intelligence for the nation. According to the studies, intelligence agencies like the CIA and military intelligence units are primarily interested in gathering information on a global scale (Hellmuth, 2018). The FBI and DHS are among the organizations chosen to carry out intelligence activities for the nations internal security. With a courts approval, such as the FISA court, the NSA can also be chosen to assist the FBI and DHS. Intelligence agencies like the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, employed several strategies to lessen instability in the country (Tromblay, 2018). The analysis of crime by these agencies is a complex procedure that requires inputting various data from relevant sources. According to the DHS, the US Homeland Security team has conducted a series of intelligence analyses on Ansar al-Dins operations to identify any potential weak points and limit the groups operations.

Field Agencies of DHS

According to DHS research, the Ansar al-Din made several intelligence-related actions to bolster their self-assurance and leadership. Since the organizations philosophy encourages its members to engage in combat for their spiritual fulfillment, its Jihad declaration continues to pose significant threats to US homeland security (Tromblay, 2018). To learn the tactical approaches used by the Ansar al-Din organization, all trainees consult a recorded terrorist guidebook (Hellmuth, 2018). As a result of their widespread use of intelligence, which compelled a response from the domestic intelligence services, the decision was made to give the recruits the best training techniques.

Intelligence Analyst Strategies

Strategy One

The OSINT strategy, which gathers and analyzes all information regarding Ansar al-Din, is one of the structured analytical methods for enhancing intelligence analysis. The agencys OSINT strategy now includes locations other than crime scenes, like restaurants and mosques connected to the victims (Borum, 2020). By examining the publicly available material, the analytical technique aims to master every action done by the terrorists (Brady, 2018). In other words, the FBI has started developing ways to stop terrorist attacks by looking into every potential trigger that could lead to a strike before being stopped by Ansar al-Din. The intelligence agencies continuously investigate any victims of terrorism and even question suspects to learn about any plans the terrorist organization may have had.

Strategy Two

The domestic intelligence agencies can employ HUMINT, a crucial criminology technique, to learn more about Ansar al-Din. HUMINT requires creating a proactive response to the criminal behavior of terrorist organizations (Borum, 2020). The IC members can rely on this tactic by dispatching intelligence personnel to suspected crime areas (Borum, 2020). These spies adopt civilian or criminal personas in order to learn sensitive information about the terrorist group (Borum, 2020). In order to obtain information and give it to the FBI, intelligence agents have occasionally pretended to be thugs looking for potential Ansar al-Din recruits. When gathering data on Ansar al-Din, HUMINT is the finest strategy the IC can employ to get the best results. This strategy would combat terrorism by the Ansar al-Din.

Strategy Three

Finally, the signal intelligence (SIGINT) analysis is another strategy that can be used to interpret intelligence information collected about the Ansar al-Din. Senior civilian and military authorities are among the clients of SIGINT, which gathers foreign intelligence from communications and information systems and provides it to them (Brady, 2018). This requires intercepting signals that are sent singly or using communication intelligence. The National Intelligence Security Agency (NSA) is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting on signals within the USA (Brady, 2018). These intelligence strategies are among the most effective in analyzing Ansar al-Dins electronic and communication data. This is because this form of information is the most used by the Ansar al-Din organization. Moreover, it will shed evidence on the strategic moves of the group and what is used to combat their terrorist attack.

Conclusion

Attacks against the US homeland security system by terrorist organizations like Ansar al-Din show how well they should employ intelligence. Homeland security has got to employ domestic intelligence fully to fight such attacks and lessen the impact of the terrorist actions carried out by this organization. Several intelligence agencies, including the FBI and the National Security Agency (NSA), employ various intelligence techniques to stop the group from committing terrorist attacks. Ansar al-Din routinely launched big strikes because of their well-established intelligence infrastructure, which acquired all pertinent military information. Generally, homeland intelligence is essential in identifying and helping in the mitigation of risks associated with terrorism, which promotes the achievement of various symbolic objectives.

References

Barrett, R., & Parker, T. (2018). Acting ethically in the shadows: Intelligence gathering and human rights. In Using Human Rights to Counter Terrorism (pp. 236264). Edward Elgar Publishing. Web.

Borum, R. (2020). Scientific and Technological Advances in Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysis. Science Informed Policing, pp. 99121. Web.

Brady, K. R. (2018). Assessing the Relevant Failures of the US Intelligence Community Regarding the Attacks of September 11, 2001.

Hellmuth, D. (2018). More similar than different: Of checks, balances, and German and American government responses to international terrorism. German Politics, 27(2), 265281. Web.

Jones, S. G., Doxsee, C., & Harrington, N. (2020). The tactics and targets of domestic terrorists. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Web.

Tromblay, D. E. (2018). Intelligence collection versus investigation: how the ethos of law enforcement impedes the development of a US informational advantage. Intelligence and National Security, 33(7), 1070-1083. Web.

Abstract

Today, more than ever, it is essential to understand the origins and causes of terrorism worldwide. The purpose of the paper is to study the Ansar al-Din organization, its goals, origins, ideology, and funding. In addition, as part of this study, a potential terrorist attack on the infrastructure of the United States of America was simulated in order to find out how possible such a situation is. Analytical, systematic, historical, and deductive methods were used to conduct the study. According to the studys results, it can be concluded that the threat of a terrorist act in the modern world remains high since organizations like Ansar al-Din have open access to all possible types of weapons and can quietly cross state borders also recruit people on the ground. Moreover, by conducting a simulation, it was found that acts of terrorism are capable of causing enormous damage to the countrys infrastructure and its people.

Introduction

Terrorist groups, despite international efforts, still terrify the civilian population of the world. The terrorist threat violates fundamental human rights in a democratic society, such as the right to be free from fear, the right to be protected by life and life (Praba, 2020, p. 39). The group operates in conjunction with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb movement, which was previously included in the list of terrorist organizations. According to Bildirici & Gokmenoglu (2020), total deaths from terrorism throughout the world fell 27% from 2016 to 2017 (p. 3). Accordingly, if no action is taken, the threat will continue to grow, which becomes a danger to society.

Hypothetical Attack

Given the official ideology of the terrorist group and its direction, it can be considered possible to organize a terrorist attack in the United States of America. Even though terrorist activities are carried out mainly online, about 90% of terrorist activities online are conducted via social media platforms (Jain & Vaidya, 2021, p. 2), their threat in real life is still relevant. Many terrorist groups show a significant interest in active subversive activities in the United States since the United States is a country that has always directly opposed the terrorist threat in the world. Gao et al. (2019) state that terrorist attacks have great lethal and destructive power, which may directly cause casual huge ties and property losses, but bring great psychological pressure to civilians (p. 126). An attack by the Ansar al-Din could be genuine in the next few years, as their interests are significantly at odds with the Americans. Such an organization will likely not arrange a conventional terrorist attack in the middle of the city. Instead, Ansar al-Din can focus on state structures. It cannot be ruled out that the organization may have recruited agents within the States, making it easier for them. Given the problem of illegal trafficking in weapons, including explosives, it is also not difficult to get them.

A terrorist act can be committed on any infrastructure object to disable it and block the state apparatus for a short time. Priambada & Purwadi (2021) argue that the eradication of terrorism cannot be carried out partially and individually but requires the involvement of institutional components or the international community (p. 2878). For a terrorist attack, an organization may involve twenty to forty people. More will not be needed, and fewer people will be unable to carry out such a plan. One of the critical strategic places for a terrorist attack can be considered the Hoover Dam. The construction of Hoover Dam was conditioned by the exploration of the lower Colorado River and initiated by the Hydrology Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey (Rogers & Asce, 2020). If a disaster hits the Hoover Dam and somehow collapses, a catastrophic amount of water will pour out of Lake Mead. The reservoir provides water to many major cities such as Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Boulder City, Nevada, as well as municipal, industrial, and irrigation water for downstream users. In addition, if the dam breaks, the bridges downstream will be destroyed. Electricity is out in the river valley, and it could take weeks to get back to full power. The dam also provides water to three states, which are about 22 million people, respectively. They can all be left without water for a long time, leading to a humanitarian catastrophe. Another consequence of the damage to the dam will be flooding, which will lead to many deaths. The dam is solid, and any natural disasters will not able to damage it. However, achieving severe damage or even collapse with explosive elements is possible.

Origins, Ideology, and Goals & Objectives

Modern society gradually began to forget about the threat of terrorist attacks, but the tension only increases yearly. According to Ousmane-Issaka (2019), the threat and impact of terrorism have increased significantly since September 11, 2001.

Origins

The history of the interaction between the norms of pure and traditional Islam shows that the imposition of Salafism significantly reduces social support from the local population and often leads to armed clashes. Carrying out operations in areas with a predominance of the Tuareg population requires taking into account local and national specifics, which also forces Salafi groups to appoint representatives of the Touareg to the post of regional amirs. As a result, the situation has developed so that the Ansarovites, allegedly declaring their refusal to cooperate with the radicals, do not intend to squeeze them out of the region.

Ideology

Ansar al-Din, defenders of the faith, was founded in late 2011. Their leader is Iyad ag-Ghali, who in February 2013 was already included in the list of terrorists of the State Department. The groups militants are ethnic Touareg professing the Salafi direction of Islam.

Goals & Objective

Being an experienced politician, Ghaly declares the strengthening of cooperation with regional Salafi groups in case of tactical necessity. At the same time, it is also focused on acting as a legal and political force. Thus, fearing international intervention in the crisis in northern Mali, on November 6, 2012, the Ansar al-Din movement announced its refusal to cooperate with the radicals from JEDZA and AQIM. According to Arieff (2018), AQIM calls for the overthrow of North and Central African governments to install Islamist regimes there. Moreover, on December 4, 2012, at negotiations with representatives of the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS), mediated by the President of Burkina Faso B. Campaore, the Ansarovites expressed their intention to counter extremism and trans-border organized crime, as well as to engage in dialogue with all parties interested in resolving the crisis in northern Mali. At the same time, AD noted that it did not intend to fight against its brothers from DZEDZA and AQIM. In order to expand its base of support, AD has abandoned its strict adherence to Salafist norms, often contrary to traditional Islam, which residents in northern Mali practice.

Leadership

The leader of the Ansar al-Din group, I. Ghaly, also known as Abu al-Fadl, in the early 80s. It is authentically known that In the early 1990s, he was one of the leaders of the Touareg movement (Issaev et al. 2021, p. 40). Together with his deputy Sheikh Osa and other supporters, he participated in the hostilities against Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, where M. Gaddafi sent them and dozens of Arabs and Touareg. After signing a peace agreement with the government of Mali, he began to work in the government of that country. For his services in reconciling the most radical Touareg nationalists, he was appointed Consul General of Mali in Saudi Arabia.

Funding

Since its founding, the organization has received funding from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Ansar al-Dine also generates income through smuggling operations. In addition, the organization receives money for the ransom of the hostages. Various agreements exist with other terrorist organizations, such as Al Qaeda, to implement oil sales. In addition, funding comes from external donors who support the political goals of the organization.

Capabilities

In November 2011, he entered into a cooperation agreement with two major Salafi groups in the Sahel: AQIM and DZEDZA. According to Hicks, The Sahel (shore in Arabic) is a vast semi-desert zone to the south of the Sahara (p. 108). In January 2012, his group took control of the Aravan settlement and captured the Amshesh military base near Tesalita, replenishing its weapons and ammunition. Militants attacked a UN base in the city of Kidal in northern Mali on Friday morning. First, they drove up to the camp, blew up a car filled with explosives, and fired mortars and small arms at the base. At least three of the dead are Guinean citizens. About thirty more people were injured. Some scholars argue that in some instances, organizations Islamist terrorism is its unique form of religiously motivated terrorism (Van Nuys & Carter, 2021, p. 2). However, in a statement, Ansar al-Din, a group linked to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, called the attack on the peacekeepers a message to the crusaders and all those who support them. The UN Secretary-General called the attack on the base a war crime. While the parent al-Qaeda is in a difficult situation in the tribal zone near the Afghan-Pakistani border, groups that share the ideological principles of this organization have been able to significantly replenish their financial resources in the Sahel through multimillion-dollar ransoms for the release of captured foreigners.

I. Ghaly concentrated his strikes on the fortified points of the Malian army, leaving at the disposal of the militants of the NDZOA settlements in the north of the country. The coup détat in Mali, which took place on March 22, 2012, also contributed to the success of the implementation of I. Ghalys plans. Since the beginning of 2012, AQIM, MUDZA, and Ansar al-Din have captured most of the settlements in Azawad. At the same time, the Salafis used to achieve their goals through inter-tribal contradictions in the city of Kidal, where most of the inhabitants are from the Ifoghas clan, to which I. Ghaly belongs.

During the capture of the city of Timbuktu, Ansar al-Din acted as an intermediary in the negotiations between the NDLOA and militants of the armed formations of local Arab tribes. Due to this fact in Western Sahel, terrorist activity increased significantly in 2019, with over 4,000 deaths recorded (Demuynck & Coleman, 2020). Strengthening the positions of the Islamists is also facilitated by their flexible policy of appointing amirs in the settlements they have captured. As a rule, the administrations leaders are people from the tribe that represents the majority of the population of a particular area. The Islamists managed to enlist the support of residents. In areas under their control, they abolished taxes on essential goods and introduced fixed prices for food and free use of electricity and water. Along with this, the militants families receive monthly payments.

Conclusion

There has been a tendency for the Touareg units to leave the AQIM and DZEDZA. First of all, this is because of the experienced leader of Ansar al-Din, I. Ghaly is gradually moving away from the principles of Salafism and moving closer to the nationalist NDLOA. It is the flexibility in the implementation of ones political line, as well as the well-thought-out tactics of interaction with the clans inhabiting the north of Mali, that strengthens the position of Ansar ad-Din in the region. Along with this, the common economic interests of the Salafis, smugglers, and sheiks of the Touareg tribes only complicate the task of neutralizing the Ansarovites, who, like the Taliban in Afghanistan, have become part of the local society.

References

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Demuynck, M. & Coleman, J. (2020). The shifting sands of the Sahels terrorism landscape. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. Web.

Gao, Y., Wang, X., Chen, Q., Guo, Y., Yang, Q., Yang, K., & Fang, T. (2019). Suspects prediction towards terrorist attacks based on machine learning. In 2019 5th International Conference on Big Data and Information Analytics (BigDIA) (pp. 126-131). IEEE. Web.

Hicks, C. (n.d.) The Sahels ungoverned spaces and the ascent of AQIM, Al-Mourabitoun and MUJAO in Mali and Niger. Extremisms in Africa, 107-39.

Issaev, L., Fain, E., & Korotayev, A. (2021). Impact of the Arab spring on terrorist activity in the sahel. Social and Political Transformations in the Middle East and Northern Africa Region, 3(19). Web.

Jain, P. N., & Vaidya, A. S. (2021). Analysis of social media based on terrorisma review. Vietnam Journal of Computer Science, 8(01), 1-21.

Ousmane-Issaka, A. (2019). Impact of Terrorism on Niger from 2013 to 2019. US Army Command and General Staff College.

Praba, D. A. P. U. (2020). De-Radicalization and Guidance for Criminal Acts of Terrorism in Indonesia. Ganesha Law Review, 2(1), 37-43.

Priambada, B. S., & Purwadi, H. (2021). Involvement of Children in Legal Issues for Criminal Acts of Terrorism in Indonesia: Phenomenon and Inflicting Factors. PalArchs Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 18(08), 2875-2886.

Rogers, J. D., & Asce, F. (2020, May). How Boulder Canyon Dam Ended Up in Black Canyon as Hoover Dam. In World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2020: Nevada and California Water History (pp. 66-80). Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers.

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