Suicide Bombers

This bibliography, compiled by Greta E. Marlatt at the Naval Postgraduate School, contains a list of resources related to lone wolf terrorism. Resources include both books and periodicals. The list is organized alphabetically and links to resources are provided when available electronically. This bibliography was created in September 2013, and was last updated August 2019.

This bibliography, compiled by Greta E. Marlatt at the Naval Postgraduate School, contains a list of resources related to suicide terrorism. Resources include both books and periodicals. The list is organized alphabetically and links to resources are provided when available electronically. This record was updated and is current as of June 5, 2015.

"The secondary threat of biological contamination with pathogenic organisms posed by suicide bombers is a significant knowledge gap. Studies of the 2005 London tube acts of terrorism highlighted the biological dimension to the threat, where the suicide bomber's bones acted as shrapnel and infected bystanders with hepatitis B. While it is unlikely the terrorist intended to spread this particular disease, we must now evaluate the possibility of intentional self-infection with highly contagious pathogens before a planned suicide bombing. Although infection by the implantation of bone fragments has been demonstrated in the past, the aerosolization of the remains of a bomber must be examined as well. Knowledge of the true contamination zone resulting from both aerosols and larger fragments from the bomber will aid first responders in preventing the risk of a potential epidemic by use of well directed decontamination and accurate determination of individuals exposed to potentially infectious agents. To address the problem of secondary, infectious after effects of a suicide bombing, we performed a series of outdoor tests to determine if aerosols were generated that could harbor living organisms. 'Our results demonstrate that aerosols generated can protect living organisms from the heat and pressure of an explosion and that those aerosols can be carried long distances, even upwind by the explosion.' To perform the tests, we used ballistic gelatin as test organisms were easily and uniformly distributed throughout each model used. Although more complex, and possibly more accurate, models of a suicide bomber were considered, budget and time constraints limited us to the ballistic gelatin blocks."

From the executive summary: "Since 2009, the Islamist group known as Boko Haram (formally known as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lid-da'awati wal-Jihad, or more recently, the Islamic State's West Africa Province [ISWAP]) has ushered in a wave of violence across the Lake Chad Basin region of West Africa, at the intersection of Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Among other tactics that it has employed during its reign of terror, the group has been noted for its use of suicide bombers. While the prevalence of suicide bombings has been duly recognized, little remains known about the broader arc of their existence and efficacy: What strategic and operational trends underlie Boko Haram's use of suicide bombers, and how effective have they been at achieving their objectives? Just who are Boko Haram's suicide bombers? Where are they deployed, what do they target, and how do different bomber demographics differ in their actions? More broadly, what does Boko Haram's use of suicide bombers reveal about the past, present, and future of the terrorist group?"

"Information Operations (IO) is one of today's least understood, yet most common scapegoat for perceived Global War on Terrorism failures in Iraq. Despite the on-going efforts of strategists and commanders to leverage the media in an attempt to tell the 'good news' successes in Iraq, news coverage continually gravitates towards acts of violence, especially suicide bombings. With or without media support, recent polls indicate that the Coalition has already won many of the 'hearts and minds' of the Iraqi people. Yet, most of the success or failure of information operations is measured and stuck on telling only the 'hearts and minds' story. The analysis from this study suggests that IO correctly shoulders blame for all the wrong reasons. More appropriately, IO is underutilized in what can be deemed a 'kinetic-only' battle on the suicide bomber. This project proposes an information operations policy expansion in relatively unused supporting elements -- counterdeception and counterpropaganda. This will add a non-kinetic approach to the kinetic-centric fight on suicide bombers. The study will analyze how information operations, in the form of counterdeception and counterpropaganda, can target the recruiting base for suicide bombers. More specifically, the project explores the possible success that could be achieved when counterpropaganda and counterdeception address cognitive third order effects of those who are most influential to the potential suicide bomber's decision-making. This new approach targets the Sunni religious faction and the family. This departure from current information operations norms serves as a change to current strategy. The recommended strategy changes also are included in the study."

"Drs. Goldstein and Emmett have produced psychological perspectives on select countries for the Joint Information Operations Center. They now have turned their attention, along with Dr. Stambaugh, to the unique psychological aspects of the terrorist suicide-bomber and his/her ongoing relationship to ongoing information operations. They offer us a 'quick look' at a topic that will soon represent a major academic effort on their part."

"This thesis addresses the question, why do some insurgent groups use female suicide bombers while others avoid this tactic? Afghanistan is an example of a conflict zone where the propensity for female suicide terrorism is lower than other conflict regions, such as Iraq and Sri Lanka. Strategic calculations and materialist gains play a unique role in influencing organizational behavior, but deeper structural considerations such as norms, institutional barriers, and the dynamics of conflict also influence the agency of actors. Realist approaches provide limited explanatory power in addressing the variation in the use of female suicide terrorism; constructivism provides a better model toward addressing individual, organizational and societal acceptance of this tactic, particularly as it relates to women. The case of the Taliban insurgency and its limited use of female suicide bombers suggest that factors other than materialist imperatives are at play. The comparative study of female suicide bombings has immediate policy and counterterrorism implications, but it can also shed light on the debate between materialist and constructivist approaches in international relations theory and in the formulation of military doctrine."

"Among the many weapons currently used by terrorist organizations against public welfare and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, human-born Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) present a significant threat. Commonly referred to as - suicide bombers, these individuals enter crowded public areas in order to detonate the IED, inflicting lethal damage to the surrounding individuals. Constructed of non-standard parts and hidden under layers of clothing, these human-born IEDs go undetected until detonated. Currently, there are no detection systems that can identify suicide bombers at adequate standoff distances. The purpose of this research is to develop a methodology that combines current technologies to increase the probability of identifying a suicide bomber at a checkpoint or marketplace with an adequate standoff distance. The proposed methodology will employ each sensor technology incorporating unique detection threshold values. We will analyze our proposed methodology utilizing a simulation model that provides both the probability of detecting a bomber and the probability of a false detection. These simulations will allow us to determine the threshold values for each sensor that result in the best probability of detection of a suicide bomber and allows for a small probability of false detections."

"Military Psychological Operations (PSYOP) is based on a Cold War construct that has not been significantly overhauled since the end of that era. Today's most pressing challenge, the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) requires a different solution set. The Quadrennial Defense Review, the Information Operations Roadmap, the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism and the Report of the 9/11 Commission all recognize this fact. How the military PSYOP community can best adjust to this new environment and effectively address one of its major threats, that of suicide terrorism, is the subject of this paper. I will argue that examining what can, and arguably should, be done to counter the threat of suicide terrorism will also help us to see ways in which PSYOP could better be configured and employed in this new era. The first chapter of my thesis will examine the evolution of suicide terrorism in some detail but will quickly focus on what have emerged as the consensus opinions as to the motivations and vulnerabilities of this tactic. Chapter two looks at the identified motivations and vulnerabilities from a PSYOP perspective and tries to apply logical PSYOP measures against them. In chapter three I review the assets and organizational structure of the PSYOP community and suggest ways the current structure could be best applied to meet the threat. Chapter four then looks for a way ahead and focuses on how and why making three critical changes to military Psychological Operations could improve the organizations ability to accomplish its mission; not only in terms of seeking to mitigate suicide attacks but also with respect a whole host of new and expanded missions the PSYOP community will increasingly be called upon to address in the contemporary operating environment."

"While Shia organizations, such as Hezbollah, pioneered the use of suicide bombings as 'self-sacrifice operations' in the early 1980s, Shia groups have abandoned the practice since the 1990s, while Sunni organizations like Hamas and Al Qaeda in Iraq have not only exponentially increased the use of 'martyrdom operations,' they have expanded the target set to include civilians, and now primarily target other Muslims. By first analyzing the historical tradition of martyrdom within Shia and Sunni Islam and then conducting case studies on Shia Hezbollah, Sunni Hamas and Sunni Al Qaeda in Iraq, this thesis seeks to discover whether there are historical factors that can help explain the differences in the contemporary expression of martyrdom between the two main sects of Islam. The main findings of this thesis are that the less prominent role martyrs play in the Sunni tradition, contrasted against the consistent 1,400-year history of venerating prominent Shia martyrs, allowed Sunni extremists to essentially rewrite their history and reinvent 'martyrdom' to suit their own contemporary political goals. Additionally, the thesis reveals that in the vacuum of restraint from the Sunni theologians, Sunni Salafi-Jihadist organizations like Al Qaeda have pushed the boundaries of the religious justification that supports martyrdom operations so far that they are now primarily killing Muslims and non-combatants -- a practice that is not only forbidden, but one of the greatest sins in Islam."

"First responders in the United States are not adequately prepared to respond to a suicide bomber attack. Police, fire, and EMS are using protocols that do not anticipate the unique needs of a suicide bomber response. There is an urgent need to develop and implement a consistent approach for responding to suicide bombers. This thesis developed a Suicide Bomber Response Framework using International Association of Chiefs of Police training documents as the primary source, along with Technical Support Working Group training materials and recommendations from relevant national training institutions. A Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) full-scale exercise was then conducted for this thesis based on the newly written Framework to identify gaps between current standard operating procedures and operating procedures recommended by the Suicide Bomber Response Framework. Exercise evaluators identified a significant gap between standard operating procedures of first responders and the recommended response procedures in the Suicide Bomber Response Framework. The thesis argues that a unified suicide bomber response approach should be instituted nation-wide. The Suicide Bomber Response Framework would serve as the tool for responding agencies to develop consistent response plans necessary for this critical public safety concern."