Terrorist Groups Research Articles

State dysfunctionality as a premise for the functioning of a terrorist organization in its territory

This article discusses the phenomenon of dysfunctionality of states as a premise for the operation of terrorist organizations on their territory. It analyses historical and contemporary causes of state failure, such as the legacy of colonialism, corruption, poverty, and internal ethnic and religious conflicts. It presents various definitions and classifications of dysfunctional states, including the terms "failed state" and "fragile state." The role of terrorist organizations in such states and their ability to create alternative power structures in areas beyond the control of legitimate governments are also discussed. A key factor in the success of these organizations is radical ideology, which enables the takeover and maintenance of control in the territory of a dysfunctional state. The conclusions indicate the necessity of a comprehensive approach to the problem of state failure in the context of international security.

아프리카 사헬지역 테러양상 변화에 따른 재외국민 보호 발전방안 연구

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors behind the change in terrorism in the Sahel region of Africa since COVID-19. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Global Terrorism Index and the number of deaths due to terrorism have decreased globally. However, the Sahel region in Africa has seen a sharp increase in terrorist attacks and deaths. Over the past few years, the focus of international terrorist organizations has shifted from the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa to the Sahel, which includes border areas that are relatively difficult for governments to control. The Sahel region has complex security challenges, which have been exacerbated by COVID-19 and are thought to have contributed to the rise in terrorism. Political instability, the decline of democracy, the rise of international terrorist organizations, and new means of attack, such as drones, are some of the factors that have contributed to the rise of terrorism in the Sahel since COVID-19. In order to respond to these threats, the report suggests ways to develop an expatriate protection response system, such as supplementing the expatriate protection crisis management manual, utilizing private security guard capabilities, and establishing anti-drone systems for missions and key facilities.

Children affected by armed conflict – reintegration of child-soldiers from the International Humanitarian Law perspective

The recruitment and use of minors in armed conflicts, which is contrary to humanitarian law, applies to any race, religion, or political system. Still, there is a harmful tendency to associate this problem only with undemocratic, poor, and underdeveloped countries, far from the large geopolitical decision-making centers. Most children are abducted, intimidated, coerced, and manipulated by actors of armed conflicts, both formally functioning in the state apparatus as soldiers, but also guerrillas, members of terrorist groups or other non-state entities. Minors are not only witnesses of brutality and suffering but are also forced to participate in torture and murder. This, in turn, causes traumatic mental reactions, such as depression, suicide attempts or lack of sensitivity to harm as adults. Hence, the reintegration of child soldiers is a long-term and troublesome process also for their families and communities, which, nevertheless, do not receive sufficient help at the mental, financial, and logistical level to be able to take care of the returning children. Global solutions still fail to deliver the expected solutions, to the detriment of children’s development and rights.

INFORMATION WARFARE AND TWITTER: A NEXUS OF INDIAN SHADOW NETWORKS ON BALOCHISTAN ISSUE

Owing to its several fault lines, Pakistan is one of the target countries of Fifth-Generation Hybrid Warfare (5GHW) attacks. These attacks are conducted by adversaries, both external and internal, more readily targeting the Balochistan province of the country, which is inhabited by a plethora of non-state actors and violent non-state actors. External adversarial powers seek to create shadow organisations to subvert the state through information operations. The paperaims to study shadow organisations subverting the state through information operations. It seeks to identify the shadow organisations in the digital security environment of Pakistan, followed by the exploration of the tactics employed by these organisations to disseminate content effectively, identify the themes used by these organisations in their textual content, and check the level of bot activity in the digital presence of these shadow organisations. The paper's findingsplaced the shadow organisationsin the hashtag Balochistan Is Not Pakistan dataset. It identified the employment of the tactics (hashtags, mentions, retweets, bot activity) connecting shadow organisations, state-recognized terrorist organisations, and external adversarial countries, i.e., India. Furthermore, the themes identified in the dataset identified the frequency of employment, solidifying the assumption that the end goal is state subversion.

The Ideology That Binds Us: Homophily in Ideology and Terrorists Collaborations

What brings different terrorist groups, organizations that are regularly secretive and competitive, to collaborate with one another? We build on scholarship that identifies ideology as a determining feature of terrorists’ behavior and draw on network studies that emphasize the role of homophily in creating collaboration. We suggest that the groups’ homophily in ideology plays a significant part in terrorists’ collaboration. Using network analysis, we examine collaborations across three case studies and different time frames: Pakistan, Colombia, and Italy. Our findings suggest that homophily in ideology is indeed a key predictor for collaboration yet that it also changed over time.

ANALYZING MEDIA PERSPECTIVES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WESTERN AND MIDDLE EASTERN FRAMING OF HAMAS

After the 9/11 attacks, Western society, especially the United States, began to consider Islam as a religion that gave birth to terrorist organizations. Many media also brand organizations related to the Islamic religion as terrorists, including Hamas. In order to emphasize the intricate relationships between media, geopolitics, and the formation of public opinion, this research seeks to analyze potential biases and contrasting narratives between Western and Middle Eastern opinions on Hamas. In order to examine depictions of Hamas as a "hero," "terrorist," "cruel," and exhibiting "humane" treatment towards civilians and hostages, this study used NVivo 12 Plus to analyze 150 news stories, 75 of which came from Middle Eastern (Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya, Asharq Al-Awsat) and 75 from Western (BBC, CNN, The Guardian) media sources. The findings indicate that Western media typically adopts a more solemn narratives, emphasizing Hamas-related conflict and violence. However, the narrative from Middle Eastern media emphasizing Hamas-related themes of resistance and heroism. This research can assist journalists and media organizations in recognizing potential biases and differing narratives in their coverage of Hamas and related subjects.

Fundamentalism in Central Asian Republic

This research paper examines the complex dynamics of radicalization and extremism in the Central Asian republics. Fundamentalism calls for a return to fundamental principles that are considered original and pure. It is characterized by a rigorous devotion to certain texts, dogmas, or ideologies. Against the backdrop of porous borders and socio-economic instability, Central Asia, strategically located at a crossroads between different economic areas linking the West and the East, must deal with the urgent threat of extremism. The terrorist attack in Kunduz, the end of the ISAF mission, and Pakistan's Zarb-e-Azb operation near the Afghan border are just some of the recent events that highlight how serious this problem has become in the region. Although there are not many large, well-known terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda, there are many regional extremist movements that are difficult to identify and understand. To clarify what elements, influence the rise of fundamentalism in Central Asia, this secondary research summarises the existing knowledge. By looking at the socio-economic vulnerabilities and geopolitical background, the work aims to offer insights that will lead to more effective preventive measures. The study aims to contribute to a thorough understanding of regional dynamics as extremism continues to spread in Central Asia. This will enable international cooperation and informed policy decisions to counter the growing threat of fundamentalism in the heart of Asia.

Globalization and Nation State

Globalization has introduced new and diverse challenges for the nation state not only in terms of managing rapid economic and cultural integration, but also with respect to governance and decision-making. Globalization, as a concept, contradicts the traditional understanding of the primacy of the nation-state in the world order and introduces a possibility for parallel existence of various non-state actors such as Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and International non-governmental organizations (INGOs). In recent decades, the growth of transnational groups - both political activist groups and dangerous terrorist organizations - also shows the ways in which modern technologies and globalization can challenge and possibly undermine the state’s ability to protect its borders and pursue its goals. In other words, the sovereign state has been continuously challenged, both internally and externally. Therefore, globalization has a serious influence on the concept of sovereignty, which is a basic element upon which the existence of the nation-state depends. The present paper examines how globalization has impacted nation states on various fronts.

Study of Target Selection for Philippine Terrorism Attacks

The Philippine terrorist group is classified as foreign terrorist fighters who carry out acts of terrorism abroad with the aim of, among other things, establishing their own state in the southern Philippines. Of course, apart from committing acts of terrorism within the Philippines. Even though there is a connection between terrorists from Indonesia and terrorists from the Philippines, Filipino terrorists are not indicated to have carried out acts of terror in Indonesia as the target country. This research identifies that terrorist target selection always pays attention to targets, including geographical factors; calculation of political, social and religious factors; rationally and the choice takes into account ideology; terrorist capabilities; probability of attack success (risk with resulting number of victims); as well as, social ties and economic incentives. This target selection can be included in rational choice theory. Based on the perspective of rational choice theory, criminals tend to evaluate before committing by considering the probability of being discovered and caught, the effectiveness and impact of punishment that may be imposed, the potential value of existing crime proceeds and their short-term needs for crime proceeds; strong interactions between ideologies; operational motivations and choices, external mitigating influences. Keywords: Indonesia, Philippine, target selection, terrorism attacks

Near-repeat terrorism: Identifying and analyzing the spatiotemporal attack patterns of major terrorist organizations

For many decades, the contagion of terrorism has presented a huge risk to our global society. To this end, previous research has found that single terrorist attacks can elevate the risk of subsequent attacks nearby, an idea referred to as the near-repeat phenomenon. A near-repeat pair consists of two attacks that occur within a specific time period and spatial distance of one another (e.g, one week and 10 miles), and the existence of near-repeats reflects calculated decisions by terrorists as they plan when and where to attack. Thus, enhancing our understanding of these attack patterns can shed light into the operational strategies of terrorist organizations. To this end, there remains key gaps in current knowledge regarding whether near-repeat attack patterns generalize across major terrorist organizations (i.e., do all major organizations exhibit near-repeat activity?), and the major risk factors associated with near-repeat terrorism (e.g., attack tactics). Utilizing data on over 50,000 terrorist attacks, this study seeks to fill these gaps in knowledge by first analyzing near-repeat attack patterns both across and within major terrorist organizations, and subsequently developing a statistical learning pipeline to identify the risk factors which are most salient in near-repeat attacks. We find that near-repeat terrorism occurs at a statistically significant level for 28 out of the 30 organizations studied. Although our findings show that near-repeat attacks are common amongst organizations, we find that the tactics (e.g., weapon choice, target type) utilized within near-repeat attacks vary vastly between organizations. The results of this work offer insights that augment our knowledge of terrorism patterns, which can in turn improve counterterrorism operations. Further, our end-to-end data-driven framework offers a strong decision support tool in which users can first detect near-repeat attacks, and subsequently identify the key operational patterns within those attacks (for any terrorist organizations of interest).

Pedestrian evacuation dynamics considering terrorist attack on-site control action differences between police and security guards

In recent years, terrorist attacks all over the world caused many civilian casualties seriously. Under the knife and axe terrorist attack, there are usually four groups of event-related persons, that is, pedestrians, terrorists, police, and safety guards in the scene. The behavior of them is different, but they are rarely considered together in existing litterateurs, especially the police and safety guards. In this paper, we propose the FFPS (extended floor-field model combined with on-site control actions of police and safety guards) model to study pedestrian evacuation dynamics considering terrorist attack on-site control action differences between police and security guards. The FFPS model consists of three aspects. First, pedestrian evacuation dynamics in terrorist attack environment is modeled. Second, the behavior of terrorists, police and safety guards is studied. Third, the differences of on-site control actions between police and safety guards are studied. We set up the scenario for simulation. The influence of terrorists’ number and location, police and security guards’ different actions, police entering time, police shooting distance, police and safety guards’ spatial position, and police control strategy on evacuation dynamics are analyzed in detail. Those results provide valuable insights to quickly control terrorists, and sharply reduce casualties in terrorist attack environment.

Preventing Catastrophic Cyber–Physical Attacks on the Global Maritime Transportation System: A Case Study of Hybrid Maritime Security in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore

This paper examines hybrid threats to maritime transportation systems and their governance responses; focusing on the congested Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) as an illustrative case study. The methodology combines secondary sources with primary data from 42 expert interviews, a 28 respondent survey, and two maritime security roundtables. Key findings were that ships’ critical systems are increasingly interconnected, yet aging IT infrastructure and minimal cybersecurity awareness among crews heighten risks. Meanwhile, regional terrorist groups have previously targeted shipping and shown considerable skill in exploiting online tools, aligning with broader calls for jihadist violence. Furthermore, opportunistic piracy persists in the SOMS with the potential to disrupt shipping. Experts confirmed that maritime cybersecurity lags behind other critical infrastructure sectors and needs updated governance. Initial International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines lack specificity but revisions and updated IMO guidance are in process, while Port state implementation of maritime cybersecurity standards varies. Crucially, information sharing remains inadequate, even as recorded attacks increase. Findings underscore that although major hybrid incidents have not occurred, simulations and threat actors’ capabilities demonstrate potential for catastrophic collisions or cascading disruption in congested waterways. Mitigating factors like redundancy and crew training are deficient currently. Some alignment between SOMS states on maritime security cooperation exists, but not on cyber threats specifically. Key recommendations include an anonymous cyber attack reporting system, reinforced training and shipboard systems, and consolidated regional frameworks. Until these priorities are addressed, the analysis concludes that hybrid vulnerabilities in this vital global chokepoint remain a serious concern.

The view on the Situation in Afghanistan in the Chinese Media within China’s National Security

The withdrawal of US troops and the rapid takeover of Kabul by the Taliban (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in the Russian Federation) in Afghanistan in 2021 shocked the world community. Even though the PRC actively opposes international terrorism, which the Taliban movement (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in the Russian Federation) is accused of supporting, it has become one of the few countries that have begun to cooperate with the new Afghan regime. In the light of these events, China’s view of the situation in Afghanistan is puzzling, in particular, we are interested in how these events are reported in Chinese press. In this paper, first, we trace the evolution of the PRC’s official position on Afghanistan, and then, using frame analysis, analyze the coverage of the events of 2021 in the PRC by focusing on three authoritative newspapers, Chinese language versions of “People’s Daily”, “Global Times”, and “The Paper”. Our study demonstrates that the Chinese press supports China’s foreign policy in general and its policy in Afghanistan in particular. Stability in Afghanistan and cooperation with the Taliban (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in the Russian Federation) on issues of Uighur separatism are important for China’s national security. In the Chinese media, the Taliban (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in the Russian Federation) are not presented as accomplices of terrorism, which China is fighting within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization but are described as representatives of the Afghan people who aim to restore the security and stability in the country. When discussing the Taliban (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in the Russian Federation) takeover in the Chinese media, the focus is often not on the crimes of the new regime - repression, abuse of power, restriction of rights, but on shortcoming of the US policy. The latter reflects an important discursive practice in the Chinese media, “othering” the United States.

Boko Haram* Insurgency and the Challenges of Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria

The consequences of insurgency, internal strife, and natural disasters force internally displaced people (IDPs) to live lives they never anticipated or desired. On this note, this study explores the challenges faced by IDPs in Nigeria as well as the globalisation of the Boko Haram (recognized as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation) insurgency. The study also looks at the difficulties IDPs in Nigeria face as a result of the Boko Haram (recognized as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation) insurgency, such as violence between Hausa and Fulani, natural and man-made disasters. Due to their affiliation with foreign terrorists, Boko Haram’s (recognized as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation) effects are more devastating. The study adopted the human needs theory and used qualitative research methods to gather information from secondary sources including books, journal articles, news magazines, and internet sources. According to the human needs theory, it is up to the government to decide how to handle social issues. Findings indicate that the difficulties faced by internally displaced people in Nigeria, which include housing shortages, starvation, hunger, lack of access to water and electricity, and lack of sustainable occupation, portend serious threats to the nation’s human security. The study also suggests that to address the issue of start-up funds, which threatens IDPs’ economic opportunities in new environments, the government should quicken the advancement of low-interest loans for skilled IDPs. The government should also work with people and organisations to provide vocational skills. The study concludes that, doing so will help to alleviate the situation of Nigeria’s internally displaced people.

Traditions of maghrebi-saheli statehood and islamic radicalism in Early XXI Century

The significance of this research topic is due to the relevance of the problems of modern state-building in the public and political life of North and West Africa. The purpose of the research project is to analyze the causes and consequences of the emergence of radical movements of political Islam in the Maghreb and Sahel at the junction of the XX and XXI centuries and their connection with the shortcomings of national statehood inherent in both African regions. At the same time, the author focuses on the incompleteness of the state-building process, the weakness of institutions and the low level of justification for drawing state borders as concrete examples of such shortcomings that affected the socio-political climate in the Islamized areas adjacent to the Sahara. Based on the materials of sources and the theoretical model of regional security complexes (RSC), the author identified contradictions and diversity in the ideological and value views of the North African ruling circles, analyzed the methodological and spiritual and political foundations of the deeply rooted relationship between criminal and Islamist groups on the example of the activities of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) (аn organization included in the list of terrorist organizations in theRussian Federation is mentioned) and its leaders - Abd al-Malik Drukdel, Mukhtar Belmukhtar, etc. It is proved that “Islamist internationalism” in the Maghreb and Sahel of the 2000s began to take ethnocultural forms, which was caused by the ‘network’ and ‘umbrell’a nature of the AQIM (аn organization included in the list of terrorist organizations in theRussian Federation is mentioned) structure, in which there was no centralized administrative-territorial management scheme. In addition, the distinctive features of the security policy of modern Algeria are shown and the importance of studying interregional contradictions for characterizing the geopolitical and economic reasons for the strengthening of Islamic radicalism in Africa is revealed.

Lethal Targeting and Adaptation Failure in Terrorist Groups

If terrorist organizations wish to thrive, they often must adapt to lethal targeting. Over time, terrorist leaders can identify countermeasures that evade or erode state surveillance capabilities. Lower-level operatives will resist implementing these adaptations, however, so leaders must enforce their implementation. Leaders of groups with decentralized command relationships will struggle to directly monitor and enforce compliance. Leaders with limited resources at their disposal will also be unable to invest in the bureaucratic capacity to discipline operatives’ behavior. These organizational deficiencies become increasingly costly when state surveillance capabilities increase. I find support for this thesis by examining Arabic language correspondence from Usama bin Ladin’s compound related to the drone campaign in Pakistan. My argument contributes to theories of adaptation and the coercive power of warfighting technologies. It also suggests that advanced surveillance and strike capabilities may be insufficient for future counterterrorism success.

Trends and patterns of terrorist attacks targeting the police in Nigeria, 2009–2022

In Nigeria, terrorist attacks targeting police officers and police facilities have continued to gain momentum since 2009. However, in spite of the intensity of the problem, it is yet to command tangible scholarly attention. Against this background, this study investigates the trends and patterns of terrorist attacks targeted against the police in Nigeria between 2009 and 2022. An exploratory research design was adopted, and data were principally sourced through the content analysis of a corpus of two purposively selected Nigerian national newspapers’ coverage of the recorded incidents of terrorist attacks that were directed at police officers. The results showed that 455 cases of such attacks were recorded between 2009 and 2022. Incidents of terrorist attacks targeting police officers were recorded in nearly all the states of the federation, with Borno State having the largest share (42.9%). Also, the largest single share of the incidents (29.2%) happened in 2021 with the highest percentage of police fatalities (24.8%) occurring in the same year. The majority of the attacks (51.9%) occurred within police stations. Indigenous People of Biafra (32.1%) and Boko Haram (31.2%) were the terrorist groups responsible for most of the attacks on police officers. Terrorist attacks hold multiple serious deleterious consequences for the Nigeria Police Force. Thus, it is important for the law enforcement agency to develop a functional institutional framework through which police officers can be adequately exposed to professional counter-terrorism training and strategies.

Digital Currency Financing Terrorists in Pakistan. The Way Forward

Cryptocurrencies have become a preferred mode of terror financing. it is imperative to analyze the role of cryptocurrencies in empowering terrorist organizations especially in developing states. It takes on a more serious form in developing countries like Pakistan, which is fighting a battle against terrorism for the last few decades. Now digital financing has become an undeniable reality of the modern world, it is essential to devise a comprehensive strategy for breaking the nexus between terrorism and cryptocurrencies. This article intends to explore the answers to the questions that why cryptocurrencies are becoming a preferred mode for terror financing. It argues that the anonymity, decentralization and operational ease of cryptocurrencies make them a preferred medium for terrorist organizations. Therefore, enhancing institutional capacity by training human resources and making dedicated efforts at the national level will prove to be instrumental in delinking terrorism and cryptocurrencies. Moreover, close collaboration between international watchdogs and national institutions is essential in mitigating the threat of the use of cryptocurrencies for terrorism.

Lived Experiences of Youths Who Underwent Project Metamorphosis: A Case in Buguias, Benguet

The Project Metamorphosis was launched by the Benguet First Provincial Mobile Force Company to mobilize the youths in a leadership-building activity and educate them of the bad effects of joining Communist Terrorist Groups. These skills could be used by the youths in handling dynamic pressures in their lives. Since its inception in 2018, Project Metamorphosis has primarily benefited youths in Buguias, Benguet and there have been no studies conducted to review the project. This study determined the extent of the effect of Project Metamorphosis on the youth participants in Buguias, Benguet, and the problems they encountered while attending the said project. This study used a qualitative method which collects the data directly from the respondents through interviews. Further through thematic analysis of the data gathered, it answered the problem with these findings: 1. The Project Metamorphosis positively impacts the participants’ personal growth, teamwork, leadership skills, communication abilities, and awareness of societal issues. 2. The findings on the challenges encountered by the participants showcase a comprehensive approach to learning and development within Project Metamorphosis, encompassing experiential learning, mentorship, time management, and emergency preparedness. In conclusion, the participants’ lived experiences indicated collaboration with other members led to their realization that teamwork and unity are necessary. Also, indication that participants who joined the Project cultivated knowledge, skills and attitude. Moreover, the challenges encountered by the participants revealed the inadequacy of activities to achieve the desired outcome. Therefore, the study proposes modifying the Project’s program of activities. Keywords: Youth Leadership and Development, Project Metamorphosis, Buguias, Benguet

The life of children in families affiliated with terrorism: an ecological systems theory approach

ABSTRACT Children who grow up in families who are affiliated with violent extremism and terrorism are frequently viewed through a security-oriented lens which focuses on their risk of radicalisation, or the security risk they may pose to society. This security-oriented approach limits a broader understanding of the multiple ways in which a child’s life may be impacted when an immediate family member is involved in terrorism. To rectify this, this paper highlights the utility of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (EST) to systematically identify how this familial affiliation may impact the child’s life in diverse ways that extend beyond security-oriented outcomes. We demonstrate that EST is particularly useful because it allows us to systematically and holistically understand how the life of the child is impacted by familial association with a terrorist group in multiple spheres of their life (family, education, peer groups, etc.). We apply this approach to an example of a family who travelled to Syria in 2015 to join ISIS. This article demonstrates the utility of EST for researchers and practitioners to better understand the impact of familial involvement in terrorist groups on children moving away from more security-oriented approaches.