Al-Qaeda: Terrorist Group Organization

Terrorist Group Organization

For decades now, terrorists have made use of terror as a tool to advance their agenda; be it religious, political, or economic. In recent times, particularly since the September 11 terror attacks, the war on global terror has gone a notch higher. This has mainly involved increased cooperation between countries (especially with regard to intelligence gathering and sharing), joint military efforts, and efforts to block the financing of terror. It is, however, important to note that all the efforts aimed at reining in on terror must start with proper understanding of how terror groups operate, i.e. terrorist group organization. This discussion will concern itself with chapter 7 of the recommended text. The said chapter is titled, Terrorist Group Organization.

Introduction

Like most organized crime formations, all terrorist groups have common characteristics. For instance, in addition to making use of violence to advance their agenda, terrorist groups largely thrive on media coverage or attention. In most cases, they are also extremely well organized and derive their support from key quarters which could include, but they are not limited to, state actors. In seeking to assess the information presented in chapter seven by the author of this particular text, it would be prudent to make use of a real life terror formation. The terrorist group of choice will, in this case be, al-Qaeda.

Discussion: Terrorist Group Organization

Some of the characteristics shared by all terrorist groups, according to Nance (2008, p. 67-68), include, but they are not limited to; "terrorists use violence, terrorists operate in all environments, terrorists operate covertly, terrorists are often well organized, terrorists act deliberately, terrorists employ high mobility, terrorists use short-duration firepower or effects, terrorists are media dependent." These are the characteristics that will be applied to al-Qaeda in an attempt to determine the viability of the author's assertions.

No modern day terror formation can outshine al-Qaeda when it comes to the utilization of violence as a tool of terror. In addition to attacking military targets in diverse settings, this particular terror group has also been involved in the violent attacks of innocent civilians. Its most successful and perhaps best known violent attack was the September 11 attack that led to the death of thousands of innocent civilians. It is also important to note that al-Qaeda operations are global -- it largely operates in all environments; from Somali villages (in East Africa) to the mountainous Afghanistan regions to U.S. cities. The operations of this particular terror formation are also largely secretive or covert. Secrecy is extremely important to al-Qaida as this is what enables it to launch attacks without early detection. For instance, nobody saw the September 11 attacks coming.

Al-Qaeda has for some time also been extremely well-organized. This is particularly the case given that the group has a definite organizational structure with clear leadership. Before he was killed in the infamous navy SEAL attack, Osama Bin Laden had been the leader of this terrorist formation for several decades. During this time, Bin Laden, who also had a deputy, was the face of the organization, often claiming responsibility for attacks conducted by the group. The nature and scale of attacks this particular terror formation has conducted in the past is also a pointer to a well-organized formation.

The actions of al-Qaeda have also been largely deliberate, particularly given that the group has often claimed responsibility for most of its attacks. The fact that the group has a cause for which it fights for is also an indicator of the deliberate nature of its attacks. With regard to mobility, it is important to note that most of al-Qaeda's operatives are always on the move -- either to reach new targets or hide from law enforcement officers. Osama Bin Laden was, for instance, known to be constantly on the move (alongside a band of fighters and key lieutenants) -- especially after the U.S. launched attacks on his mountainous hideout in Afghanistan. This he did to evade capture. Most of those behind a significant number of attacks conducted by al-Qaeda are nationals of other countries -- often making use of various transportation modes to reach their targets.

When it comes to terrorist groups' utilization of firepower, Nance (2008, p. 68) points out that "if the mission is a bombing, the bomb will be sized for intent…mass destruction requires a large, powerful, well-positioned bomb…" For instance, with regard to the 1998 bombing in East Africa (in both Kenya and Tanzania), Hamm (2007) points out that approximately 500 TNT containers were utilized. As a result, the explosion was powerful enough to cause the death of approximately 224 people -- in both countries. Lastly, we have the need for publicity. All along, al-Qaeda has thrived on media attention. This is particularly the case given the group's tendency to not only issue taped propaganda but also claim responsibility for major attacks. Most of the group's targets have also been deliberate -- with the Nairobi target (during the 1998 bombing), for instance, being selected "because U.S. Ambassador Bushnell was a woman and killing a woman would create publicity for the attack" (Hamm, 2007, p. 67). In the final analysis, therefore, with regard to the common characteristics of terror formations, the author of this particular book has got his facts right.