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TERRORISM

Its Analysis and Solutions

Definition of Terrorism

Terrorism actually comes from the Latin word Fear The unlawful use of force against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or segment thereof, in the furtherance of political or social objectives.

What is Terrorism?

There are a variety of definitions for terrorism. In general, it is considered to be the unlawful use, or threatened use, of force or violence against persons, societies, cultures or governments in order to create a desired change. The change sought may be political, religious or social in nature. It's important to remember that terrorism does not always involve people from another country or background.

Analysis

September 11th, 2001 September 11th, 2001 is widely considered one of the most important days in American history. Although it is arguable how much really has changed since that day, references to it as the "event that changed everything" are ubiquitous, particularly among apologists for the theft of civil liberties, vanishing government accountability, and international aggression.

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The normal procedure to discover the truth about any crime involves asking these two questions. Who benefited from the crime? Who had the capacity to carry out the crime? Every legitimate investigation of a crime asks these questions. Answers are used to obtain a list of suspects. These questions were not publicly asked following the attack. Instead, Osama bin Laden was identified within hours as the mastermind, and media and official sources steadfastly ridiculed suggestions that responsibility reached beyond bin Laden.

November 26th, 2008

The 2008 Mumbai attacks were twelve coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city by members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based militant organisation. The attackers allegedly received reconnaissance assistance before the attacks. Ajmal Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, later confessed upon interrogation that the attacks were conducted with the support of Pakistan's ISI. The attacks, which drew widespread global condemnation, began on Wednesday, 26 November and lasted until Saturday, 29 November 2008, killing 200 people and wounding at least 700.

February 21st, 2013

The twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad has reiterated that the phenomenon of urban terrorism has taken firm root in India. In less than a decade, there have been about 20 major attacks in urban areas, averaging two a year. The targeted cities include Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Varanasi, Pune, Kanpur, Coimbatore, Srinagar, Jammu and Ahmedabad. All of these attacks have led to large-scale casualties, material damage and disruption of life and economic activity.

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As terrorists are rational in their choice of terrain and targets, evaluating strengths and weaknesses as well as costs and benefits, the urban terrain holds significant advantages. As is the characteristic of urban areas, the population is not only high, but also dense. Unlike in rural areas, inhabitants in cities and towns are more heterogeneous, which provides more scope for anonymity. It is anonymity that enables the terrorist fish to swim in urban waters easily; an excellent place for camouflage. For terrorists, logistical support like arms, medicines, food, and lodging are readily available in an average urban area. Manoeuvrability of terrorists is guaranteed by the presence of public and private transportation facilities that are both dependable and unobtrusive. In urban areas, a terrorist group may find it easier to recruit prospective terrorists in a predictable manner, for it is the city that nurtures dissidence in general.

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Cities are the nerve centres of a country. It is in urban areas that targets are most varied and abundant: laymen, officials, foreign nationals, corporate leaders, government buildings with symbolic/strategic value, bus stands, railway stations, airports, markets, foreign embassies, communication centres, etc. By attacking high profile symbolic targets, the terrorists wish to make a point that if a government fails to protect high value targets, it is obvious that it may not be in a position to protect the normal ones. As a result, the credibility of the government of the day is undermined. Since the quality and quantity of terrorists defined enemy is high in cities, the impact of a destructive act is more widespread. This also gives an added advantage to terrorists to prevent any kind of indiscriminate counter-terrorist operation by the state that could maximise collateral damage. For the same reason, the use of aerial bombardment against terrorists becomes difficult. Urban operations for terrorists also often demand less in the way of brute physical strength and endurance than do operations in mountainous or rural terrain. And they do not need sophisticated long-range weapons to inflict the desired damage.

Major Terrorist attacks in India in recent years

Oct. 1, 2001: Militants storm the Jammu and Kashmir state-assembly complex, killing about 35 Dec. 13, 2001: More than a dozen people, including five gunmen, die in an attack on the national parliament complex in New Delhi Sep. 24, 2004: Militants attack a Hindu temple in Gujrat, killing 31 and wounding more than 80

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Oct. 29, 2005: Three blast in New Delhi markets kill 66 people July 11, 2006: At least 200 people killed in commuter-train bombings in mumbai Nov. 26, 2008: At least 257 people killed and 700 people injured in Mumbai terror attack Feb. 21, 2013: At least 17 people killed and 119 people injured in bomb blast

Solution

Empower and educate people Create information cells in every city Recognise people who stand up against terror Educate people Create more potent terror laws Involve the media Create a voluntary group

Empower and educate people

Empower each and every citizen who lives in major cities to stand up against terrorism and take action... How can we do it... Be more aware of what is happening in the surroundings... Keep your eyes and ears open... It does not mean that you need to look at everything in a suspicious manner... But be aware that terrorist can strike at any moment... Where you see people with suspicious activity... report to an information cell in the city...

Create information cells in every city

It is important to create information cells in every city where information about people with suspicious activities is given to law enforcement agencies.

Recognise people who stand up against terror

Give state/national awards to people who give information about terrorist activities and have resulted in preventing such terrorist activities. Recognise their efforts for action against terror.

Educate people

Religious leaders of communities have to educate the youth about human values and condemn acts of terrorism. They also need to tell people that terrorism is against humanity.

Create more potent terror laws

Create terror laws which will give out stringent punishment to people indulging in acts of terror within a short period of time. It will make it a deterrent for people to indulge in terror activities.

Involve the media

Media will also have to be involved. Media should be encouraged to show people who fight terror and educate citizens about action to be taken against terrorism.

Create a voluntary group

Create voluntary groups which will co-ordinate the efforts of the government and the civil society and which will educate people about terrorism and how to stand up against it Giving information to security agencies

Conclusion

Terrorism is unlawful act Terrorism has a long history of being used to achieve political, religious and ideological objectives. Terrorism can be conducted through firearms, explosive devices and biological, chemical, nuclear materials. Even through the events of 2001, the risk of dying from terrorism has remained much lower than that from motor vehicles, smoking, and alcoholic beverage.

Thank You

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