Since the year 1982, the phenomenon of suicide terrorist attacks has spread all over the world and many countries have found themselves suffering the effects of this growing terrorist ‘modus operandi’ The suicide terrorist is no more than a platform that carries the explosive charge to its target. However, this platform can think, adapt to situational changes and act at the right time and the right place to detonate the explosive device so as to create maximum carnage and destruction in a spectacular manner; it is the ultimate precision guided smart human bomb

1. AIR VICE MARSHAL MOHAN DE ZOYSA
SRI LANKA AIR FORCE
DEFENCE OF THESIS
SUICIDE TERRORISM: THREAT & RESPONSE
2012
Scope
• Introduction
• Statement of the Problem
• Hypothesis
• Research Question
• Major Findings
• Gist of the analyses
• Recommendations

2. • Literature Review and Sources of Research
• Methodology Followed
• Conclusion
Introduction
• Since the year 1982, the phenomenon of suicide
terrorist attacks has spread all over the world and
many countries have found themselves suffering the
effects of this growing terrorist ‘modus operandi’
• The suicide terrorist is no more than a platform that
carries the explosive charge to its target. However,
this platform can think, adapt to situational changes
and act at the right time and the right place to
detonate the explosive device so as to create
maximum carnage and destruction in a spectacular
manner; it is the ultimate precision guided smart
human bomb
Statement of the Problem
• This ‘exploratory’ research study will attempt to
contribute new knowledge to expand the
educational theory and/or practice, as to how to

3. identify the suicide terrorist threat, and how to
respond to dissuade, deter, or defeat the suicide
terrorist before he or she reaches the target. As such
the objectives of this research study will focus
specifically on;
– Identifying the threat of suicide terrorist
– Formulating a strategy, to respond to / counter
suicide terrorism
Hypothesis
• The ‘initiative of action’ in conducting a suicide
attack, predominantly lies with the terrorist than, in
conducting any other type of attack by terrorists.
How then should democracies identify the threat
and respond to suicide terrorist attacks?
• It is my expectation that, the research will conclude
that, if we are to defeat the suicide terrorist, we need
to wrest the ‘initiative of action’ from him or her, and
use it to our own advantage; and in order to do this,

4. we have to be ‘one step ahead’ of the suicide
terrorist, at all times
• In order to be ‘one step ahead’ we need to broaden
the intelligence priority information requirement to
‘find and fix’ the suicide terrorist attacker; in other
words, how we need to look at the ‘bigger picture’
• For, the suicide terrorist attacker to be successful in
his/her attack at least a skeleton support
organization must exist; recruitment drive, training,
induction to target area, safe house, reconnaissance,
communications, preparation of the bomb,
psychological preparation, final briefing and video
filming of the attack (for terrorist propaganda)
• If all intelligence efforts are directed towards any one
or more of the suicide terrorist attacker’s support
elements, it would eventually lead us to the suicide
terrorist attacker
• Whilst the intelligence effort is continued, the
military could conduct ‘pre-emptive’ attacks on the
terrorists’ infrastructure to destroy the terrorists and

5. their bases, and to prevent them from recruiting and
reorganizing for further suicide terrorist action
Research Question
• Considering the wide spectrum of aspects the
subject of ‘Suicide Terrorism’ covers, the research
will limit its exploration & discussion, as to how to
identify the suicide terrorist ‘threat’ and how to
‘respond’ to dissuade, deter, or defeat the suicide
terrorist attacker before he or she reaches the target
Major Findings
• There are six main types of suicide improvised
explosive devices (IEDs). These are:
– the human-borne suicide IED, also known as the
suicide bodysuit
– the vehicle-borne suicide IED
– the motorcycle-borne suicide IED
– naval craft-borne suicide IED

6. – scuba diver-borne suicide IED
– aerial- (micro/ultra light, glider, mini-helicopter)
borne suicide IED
• There are two types of suicide terrorist operations:
on-the-battlefield and off-the-battlefield
• Preventive arrests reduces suicide terrorist
bombings, while targeted killings only increases the
terrorist activity
• Increased protective measures and the exposure of
the potential suicide terrorist before he/she has the
opportunity to carry out the attack at the planned
target may reduce the amount of damage caused by
the suicide terrorist and perhaps even prevent the
attack
• It is impossible to stop a suicide terrorist. There is no
operational answer to it
• The key to stopping suicide terrorism campaigns, is
to prevent the rise of a new generation of suicide
terrorists, by addressing the root causes of terrorism

7. • Countries which are "conducive to the spread of
suicide terrorism" are those characterized by
violations of human rights, ethnic, national and
religious discrimination, political exclusion, socio-
economic marginalization, and “lack of good
governance”
– The formula to counter suicide terrorism is
“defeat-clear-hold-build”
Gist of the analyses
• Existing research shows that suicide terrorism is a
problematic term to define. There is no universally
accepted definition of the term ‘terrorist’ let alone of
the term ‘suicide terrorist’
• Working definitions for the purpose of this research;
– Terrorist: An insurgent, militant, rebel, freedom
fighter, fundamentalist, radical, extremist,
miscreant or non-state actor who, willingly
perpetrates violence against the military, non-
combatants and civilians, causing death or
bodily harm to them, with the intention of
instilling fear and panic to attain political or

8. ideological goals, as part of an organizational
strategy
• Working definitions for the purpose of research;
(cont’d)
– Suicide Terrorist: A ‘terrorist’ who attacks the
target by willingly killing him/her self with the
blast of an explosives device, detonated by
him/her self or allow to be detonated remotely
by another terrorist, against the military, non-
combatants and civilians, causing death or
bodily harm to them, with the intention of
instilling fear and panic to attain strategic,
political or ideological goals, as part of an
organizational strategy. This also includes so
called ‘martyr’ terrorists, however excludes
suicide/homicide bombers, suicidal high risk
attacks and suicidal protests
• Today, the suicide bombers are middle-aged and
young, married and unmarried, and male and
female; some of them even pregnant or having
children. Now even children are being trained and

9. employed for suicide attacks. There is no clear profile
of a suicide terrorist attacker anymore
• The latest research finds Strong confirmation that
military occupation is the main factor driving
transnational suicide terrorism
Recommendations
• Democratic governments need to broaden the
intelligence priority information requirement to ‘find
and fix’ the suicide bomber; in other words, how we
need to look at the ‘bigger picture’
• All intelligence efforts must be directed towards any
one or more of the suicide bomber’s support
element, which eventually will lead to the suicide
bomber
• Whilst the intelligence effort is continued, the
military must conduct pre-emptive attacks on the
terrorists’ infrastructure to destroy the terrorists and
their bases, and to prevent them from recruiting and
reorganizing for further suicide terrorist action
• In responding to the threat of suicide terrorism, we
will need to strengthen the important “elements of

10. national power” including national leadership,
diplomatic, informational, financial, economic
capacity, national morale and military strength
• It also calls for simultaneously, developing a
comprehensive strategic plan
• In order to combat terrorism in general and suicide
terrorism in particular, members of the international
community must:
• Deny terrorists the support and sanctuary of
rogue states
• Deny terrorists control of any nation they would
use as a base and launching pad for terror
Literature Review and Sources of Research
• Personal experiences & observations over a period of
30 years in the Air Force, out of which 28 years, in
counterterrorism operations against Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorists in Sri Lanka.
• The strategies adopted to find and fix the suicide
terrorist before he/she could launch the attack and
to wrest the initiative of action from the hand of the

11. suicide terrorist, to defeat the suicide terrorist threat
to some extent, in Sri Lanka, have been invaluable
for the review (excluding classified
strategic/operational details)
• Books (personal copies purchased from Jinnah Super
Market Islamabad – 20, and books borrowed from
the NDU Library – 12), articles, public documents,
public proceedings, internet resources and research
paperspublished by experts on the topic of the
research, formed a substantial part of the review
• However, during the literature review, the author
found that, research on the subject of suicide
terrorism is plagued by the lack of a common
definition of the concept
• Some authors avoid the term terrorism altogether,
adopt the terrorism label without defining it, or
expand the range of applicability of the definition
well beyond terrorism
• Among those who resist the term terrorism, some
focus on the subjective interpretations of the
perpetrators and the idea of martyrdom in specific

12. cultures and thus avoid the term suicide as well,
because both labels are objectionable to those who
practice or condone such violence
• Others use the term terrorism to refer exclusively to
attacks on civilian, not military, targets
• The concept of suicide terrorism remains imprecise,
so much so that, certain research work totally avoid
the use of the term ‘terrorist’ and refer to them as
‘miscreants, militants or extremists’
• As a consequence of contradiction, ambiguity and
biases, not many meaningful lessons could be drawn
from the vast majority of literature available for
review
Methodology Followed
• The broader area of study of “Suicide Terrorism” was
narrowed down to the specific research question, to
focus the study on the suicide terrorism – ‘Threat
and Response’
• The hypotheses were then formulated

13. • The review of observations, data and literature on
the topic was carried out
• The statement of the problem was then formulated
• The research was designed with the qualitative
approach, which involved the collection of data and
literature for an in-depth study
• The collection of Primary and Secondary historical
data, observations, and literature on the topic was
conducted
• Having reviewed the qualitative research material,
the observations, data and literature were analyzed
to establish patterns, trends, and linkages to
understand the phenomena of defeating the suicide
terrorist
• The observations, data, literature and other relevant
research material having been duly analyzed were
then interpreted to find answers to the “research
questions” and to prove or disprove the hypotheses
formulated
• Finally the thesis was compiled, describing the
background, how the research was conducted, what

14. was discovered and recommendations to formulate a
national strategy to counter suicide terrorism
• The thesis was designed and developed into five
major parts:
• Chapter - I: Introduction
• Chapter - II: Analysis of the Threat,
• Chapter- III: Formulation of Strategy for
Response
• Chapter -IV: Recommendations for Response to
the Threat
• Chapter - V: Conclusion
Conclusion
Future Threat Scenario
• When CBRN material are introduced to a suicide
bomb (using its blast effect to disperse the material),
the potential for destruction is unprecedented
Impact on Research

15. • It’s a long march ahead of us before we can develop
valid, comprehensive, cross-national explanations of
this phenomenon, and perhaps an even longer
march to be able to specify the conditions and
indicators that could help us predict and prevent
suicide terrorist attacks