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Terrorism and Counter-terrorism
christopher juarez
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Terrorism and Counter-terrorism
For decades, terrorists have endangered the lives and security of people. They sacrifice lives, bomb important areas, and cause fear and disorder.
On the other hand, the government does everything it can to restore the order and prevent other damages from being done. It organizes the counter-terrorist force: a group which duty is to solve the problems caused by terrorists.
Definitions
Terrorists cause wide fear and panic through the use of force, violence and chaos. They intend to catch the attention of the government by bombing important areas and killing many innocent people. Terrorists have many known reasons, including religion and revenge.
Knowing the danger that these people bring, the counter-terrorists act against them, using every possible way they can use to fix the situation. The government supports them, and provides everything that they need.
Goals and Reasons
(of terrorists)
Most of them act for political reasons. Revenge for an injustice done or the desire to rule the nation attracts many terrorists. In other words, either they want revenge, power, or both.
Although money tempts many of them, it's only similar to power. Fame or popularity also attract many but, there are other deeper reasons.
Many terrorists demand freedom. Either they want a way to escape or ask that a captured fellow be released from prison. The government sees such a request as extremely dangerous. The freedom of another terrorist would mean more trouble for the country, aside from the fact that lots of money, time, energy, and even lives were already consumed to capture one.
Religion proves to be the most dangerous of all reasons. Many people would do anything for it, even to sacrifice their own lives. The inspiration that many terrorists feel in religion makes them fight with more fury. They want to destroy their enemies. They want to do it for their god.
Suicide bombings show how dangerous terrorists can become when extremely religious.
In 1995, a harmful chemical killed several people in the Tokyo Subway. The Aum Shinrikyo group(responsible for the release of the chemical), believed in the apocalypse fanatically.
On September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. The fire from the planes burned several floors and weakened the structure of the buildings. The upper floors crashed to the ones below, and the towers collapsed. Over two thousand people were killed in the incident.
U.S. officials suspected that Bin Ladin as the mastermind. They believed his purpose was both political and religious.
(of counter-terrorists)
They have two main objectives or goals: to capture the enemies and save the lives of the civilians involved.
Every situation requires careful planning. Also, counter-terrorists must have enough information and assistance to succeed. They'll use any information they have to plan their actions very carefully.
Another objective is to protect structures or buildings that might be attacked. Usually, counter-terrorists decide on what to do based on reports collected from spies or civilians. Then, they inform the police or military of the si- tuation so the target areas would be protected.
The government makes sure that peace and order are maintained. As much as possible, it hides any information that might cause the public to panic.
For example, a report that a mall will be bombed will surely cause fear in many civilians. Thus, officials will first check whether the report is true or not. After removing any bomb, the government then allows the public to know.
The officials also prevent secrets from being revealed to the people. An example of such secrets is the location or hideout of terrorists. If the enemies know that they're being watched, surely they'll escape to another place. That's why they must never know that they're being watched until they're captured.
Also, counter-terrorists make sure to hide their plans, technology, and iden- tities from the enemies.
Ways to invite recruits
(of terrorists)
To invite more people, terrorist leaders use two ways:
First, they send their followers to look for new recruits. Those followers go into populated areas such as cities and provinces. There, they talk to people who either hate the government or are tempted by money or fame.
Another way - broadcasting, proves to be more effective. The leaders show the world what they're fighting for. They want to invite people into becoming "heroes" and "martyrs," fighting for the "benefit" of humanity. According to them, the corrupt government should be replaced, and it can only be done through the use of force.
The viewers who agree become tempted to attack the government and cause trouble. This makes things easier for the terrorists, since the civilians par- ticipate for them. Also, it'll be easier to convince such people to do more extreme actions.
(of counter-terrorists)
The government shows the public the violent and evil acts done by terrorist groups. Also, TV stations broadcast videos of captured terrorists in court or prison.
Then, the viewers see that the government is right and stronger than its enemies. The broadcast convinces the viewers not to fight the nation's leaders but, instead support them against terrorists.
Counter-terrorists also prevent unlawful messages from reaching the public. Of course, they don't want the terrorists to convince anyone. However, they read or watch the messages themselves to analyze what their enemies are trying to do. Once they have the information they need, the counter-terrorists plan on what they must do.
Techniques for victory
(of terrorists)
The broadcasting of anti-government messages either gains recruits or makes the people angry against the government. Videos of corruption and carelessness within the justice and political systems are shown to achieve such goals.
Hostage-taking is a well-known method. Usually, civilians are captured and kept in a building. In some situations, the enemies also take political leaders or government workers as hostages.
The terrorists then inform the government of their demands. If those demands are not met, they will begin killing the hostages.
Just last year, Cheznian rebels took over a theater in Russia where they held several hostages. Under the instruction of the government, the counter-terrorist team arrived to handle the situation.
Since the rebels made sure their security is tight, the counter-terrorists used a deadly gas that killed all of the enemies.
There are terrorists who use radioactive materials. Radioactivity, which is released from such materials, damages the health by slowly harming the cells in the body. Although it can only kill when taken in very large amounts, radioactivity is still a dangerous weapon.
In 1995, Chechen rebels who fought with Islamic terrorists placed radioactive material in a Moscow park. They were suspected as allies of Bin Ladin - the leader of the group al-Qaida.
The direct assault or, using soldiers to attack government buildings and public places, is a very rare method. The nation's military often remains more powerful than terrorist groups, which explains why the direct assault is uncom- mon. Most terrorists try to be careful not to fight the military directly.
Instead, most of them bomb inportant buildings or structures such as power plants, research centers, malls, and embassies. In most situations, the ex- plosions also kill tens or hundreds of people.
The al-Qaida's attack on the World Trade Center shows this.
Most big time terrorists use dangerous chemicals in addition to other methods. Either they buy them from the market or create new ones instead. The creation of new or rare chemicals often requires millions of dollars and very skilled scientists. That's why officials suspect that terrorist groups, which use them, are either wealthy or have very rich supporters.
Biological warfare or, the use of viruses, bacteria, or other tiny creatures is extremely dangerous. In some situations, the germs go out of control, infecting thousands of people in several cities or even countries. Even the users of such weapons can become infected.
Some terrorists collect them from the environment, particularly in forests or swamps where new ones could be found. Others manufacture them in laboratories or research centers.
Two weeks after the collapse of the World Trade Center, U.S. officials discovered anthrax in mail. Most of those who received them are civilians while others are some government workers.
Although until now there have been no reports of terrorists using nuclear weapons, the possibility remains. When built properly, a single atomic bomb can kill millions of people and completely destroy an area of 18 miles(or more) in diameter.
U.S. officials suspect Bin Ladin attempts to build a nuclear weapon. According to some scientists, they were captured and asked for informa- tion on how to build such a device. Fortunately, they escaped and accor- ding to them, the terrorist only received insufficient information.
(of counter-terrorists)
The first option is not to negotiate. The government officials insist that the enemies surrender instantly.
In cases where there are hostages or bombing threats, a negotiator arrives. He uses psychological warfare: the act of manipulating or controlling the terrorists' emotions. The negotiator causes fear, guilt, or both, on the enemies.
The second option is to use force. The counter-terrorists plan to destroy the terrorists and free any hostages they have. The task is extremely dange- rous. In most situations, several lives are endangered.
If there's no other choice, the government gives what the terrorists want. However, this causes the enemies to be more inspired and the problem could become worse.
Conclusion
Both sides have their own reasons. Many terrorist groups claim they fight for the benefit of humanity, and counter-terrorists protect the lives of innocent people.
However, most terrorists kill for their goal; others bomb important areas. Whatever they do, whether simple or extreme, they cause damage.
Although the government's intentions are sincere, the officials sometimes ignore the messages of their enemies. Most of the time, it doesn't matter whether those terrorists are right or wrong. To the government, the safety of the civilians and security are the only things that are important.
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