Geopolitics Magazine January - February 2015 ( 7th Edition ) | Page 63

Geopolitics & Daily News Magazine
Most terrorism actions that took place in recent years were using a specific attacking modus
operandi. The way they used to gather intel on the target, selecting and getting materials for their
attack and at last phase launching the attack provided a small time frame window for authorities to
possible locate and prevent an attack. This is valid even today, since many attacks have been stopped
in their early phases and public will never know about them. But this has changed with recent ways of
attack used by terrorist groups.
Most of the attacks up until 1990s were including hijacking planes and bombing attacks with placed
explosives or/and suicide attackers. This changed in 9/11 when planes were used as missiles by
terrorists to accomplish their goals. It provided a turning point in dealing with terrorism since all
security measures at that point had to include another sector of defense and prevention.
Another turning point is now coming in play. Way harder to prevent and deal with. The one that
presents a small attacking team or even a single person carrying army assault weapons and equipment
launching attacks with no prior phases existing. Just a weapon in hand, no intel gathering on target
and a raid without even planning. An attack with “deal threats as you go” by terrorists which leaves
nothing but little room to react to authorities and of course no room for prevention measures as there
is no real way to have a police force around the block in every city of the world. Looks like a Guerilla
warfare tactic but truth is that even then targets are selected and attacks are launched after
preparation.
In Paris Attacks, these actions took place with no real
planning but rather a small communication via mobile
phones by these attacker s to sync their actions. They
had no plan to escape and their determination to die
was visible on screen when the attacker at the
Grocery store just jumped out for a certain death
through the door taking almost 40 bullets ( !!!! ). This
kind of mind state (fanatics) does not allow room for
prevention or prediction. There is a little chance only
to predict and prevent a determined person who
thinks of his death as a part of the attack and a goal
on his agenda while acting on a randomly selected
target (in terms of time planning).
How to Deal.

GIGN taking positions in Paris on recent terrorism
incidents

Dealing with such kind of attacks is very difficult and needs a high level of awareness and maybe some
radical measures which need radical decisions by each states administration. Following are only some
suggestions made by our IISCA Sec group on this framework of thinking.
·
HUMINT. Human Intelligence is the basis of all efforts to act and counteract for all authorities
all over the world. Intelligence could come from all sources. But here there is a need for something
more. There is a need to bring in all citizens. There is no way for anyone to stay hidden from all eyes in
city. Someone might notice something strange and a simple report to authorities might change all
things. There are many occasions where people noticed something weird about a terrorist but either
neglect to report is as “it was of no importance according to him”, or just got worried of getting mixed
in a terrorist/criminal case and run into problems.
So there is need to make citizens a part of the solution and in that way make them feel that they are
guards of their own and not a part of the problem. There is a warning line here though. No one wants
citizens to become detectives and endanger their lives. So a simple set of instructions by local
authorities should be sufficient for that.

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