It is reported in the press that in Pakistan, 12 security personnel were killed last month when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a check post in Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Of late, there has been an escalation of suicide bombing attacks by terrorists in Pakistan. Hafis Gul Bahadur, a militant organisation affiliated with the Tehriki-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for this night raid. Pakistan says that TTP, which the USA lists as a global terrorist organisation, is orchestrating the deadly violence from sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

Kabul has stoutly denied the allegations uicide bombing is becoming the most dreaded form of terrorist attack in many countries of the world. In India, suicide bombing was not witnessed in the early days of terrorism in Kashmir and Punjab. The first and most daring case of suicide bombing was the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by LTTE cadres in 1991. The Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Beant Singh was the next victim of suicide terrorism in Chandigarh in August 1995. The first suicide bombing in Kashmir took place in April 1999, in the Badami Bagh area of Srinagar, when a Jaish militant launched a suicide attack on Indian Army 15 Corps Headquarters.

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Suicide bombing first hogged the limelight in April 1983, when the terrorist network of Hezbollah attacked the American Embassy in Beirut, and later, in the same year, devastated the US Marine headquarters in Lebanon. The success of the Hezbollah suicide bombing inspired the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to resort to suicide bombings on a huge scale in their operations. The suicide bombers constituted an elite corps and occupied a privileged position in LTTE. They were separated from ordinary cadre, and kept in isolation. The Tigers are perhaps the only terrorist outfit responsible for the assassination of two former prime ministers – Rajiv Gandhi and Premadasa of Sri Lanka. LTTE’s suicide missions were planned with minute attention to detail, and precisely executed with lethal impact.

The LTTE cadre responsible for the assassination of Premadasa infiltrated into his staff, and remained inactive for nearly two years, before embarking on the deadly mission. Research in the field has shown that most suicide bombing missions are not “lone wolf” operations. They are meticulously planned by a terrorist network. The suicide bombers are trained, motivated and radicalised before being sent on their missions. For organizing successful bombing operations, there is need for extensive underground preparation and coordination. Explosives have to be smuggled and stored properly and safely, for which reliable local support is needed.

The damage inflicted by suicide bombings is both physical and psychological, and to inflict maximum damage the bombers rely heavily on the element of surprise. Surprise is generated by turning the everyday into a weapon. For instance, suicide bombers often wear their explosives underneath their clothing, carry them in backpacks, or even hide them in bicycle frames. Frequently, to inflict even greater damage, suicide bombers drive vehicles packed with explosives into the targets. The use of suicide bombing has grown for three main reasons. First, suicide bombing is almost impossible for security forces to prevent. Second, media attention is almost like oxygen to the terrorist and suicide bombings generate great publicity and receive enormous news coverage. Third, suicide bombings require little expertise and few resources beyond a bomb and someone willing to carry it, thus is more cost effective than other tactics.

The growth in suicide bombing has often been linked to the rise of religion-inspired terrorist violence, but this is not totally correct. American political scientist Robert Pape has argued that prior to 2003, a group that often resorted to suicide bombings was LTTE, a secular, separatist, ethnic group from Sri Lanka. Though religion is often misused to justify suicide bombings, studies have shown that many suicide bombers, particularly in developed societies, are not fanatics and a significant number of bombers come from income and education levels well above their country’s norms. Suicide bombers pose serious security hazards. It is very difficult to detect and prevent such bombers, who can always spring a surprise.

But the task of suicide bombers can be made more difficult and burdensome, and the impact of the strike may be reduced by adopting various measures like strict access control, strengthening of verification procedures, etc. There should be constant training and drill of the security personnel deployed for protection of VIPs and other possible targets and sensitive installations. There are instances where alertness of the security staff has prevented, or foiled lethal strikes. Regular briefing and constant simulated exercises are necessary to hone skills, and sharpen responses. Along with the refinement of skills, there should be upgradation of equipment and weaponry available to the security personnel.

(The writer is Senior Fellow – Institute of Social Sciences, a former Director General of the National Human Rights Commission and former Director, National Police Academy.)