Word: ladenism
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Those who track jihadists can't tell you where or when the next strike will come, not least because the West's war on terrorism has deprived al-Qaeda's "leaders"--even Osama bin Laden (especially Osama bin Laden)--of the ability to move or communicate effectively. U.S. intelligence officials say 75% of al-Qaeda's top bosses have been killed or captured. Today, says French terrorism expert Roland Jacquard, "the most militant groups are forming on their own initiative, on the margins of the movement ... They certainly aren't going to wait for the fatwas permitting attacks on civilians...
Robert Pape, author of a book about suicide terrorism, Dying to Win, says the tactic has historically been used when two conditions are met: first, insurgents feel they are fighting foreign troops in places they regard as their homeland (Osama bin Laden, for example, has railed against U.S. bases in the Arabian Peninsula); and second, when the occupiers come from a different religious background, insurgents are able to paint them as subjugators of their faith and its followers. Those conditions, it turns out, co-exist prominently in the Muslim world today, particularly in the Middle East. --With reporting by Aparisim...
...then blow himself up along with as many U.S. or Iraqi soldiers as he can reach. Marwan Abu Ubeida says he has been training for months to carry out a suicide mission. He doesn't know when or where he will be ordered to climb into a bomb-laden vehicle or strap on an explosives-filled vest but says he is eager for the moment to come. While he waits, he spends much of his time rehearsing that last prayer. "First I will ask Allah to bless my mission with a high rate of casualties among the Americans," he says...
...mainly psychological and spiritual. Besides the Koran, he says, "I read about the history of jihad, about great martyrs who have gone before me. These things strengthen my will." One popular source of inspiration for suicide bombers is The Lover of Angels, by Abdullah Azzam, one of Osama bin Laden's spiritual mentors, which tells stories of jihadis who died fighting Soviet occupying troops in Afghanistan. And Marwan is listening to taped speeches that address subjects like the rewards that await warriors in heaven. In recent months, jihadist groups have also begun showing recruits lurid videos of successful suicide hits...
According to TIME's contacts close to insurgent groups, the bombers have little or no say in planning their operations. The logistics--choosing targets, checking out the site, preparing the bomb-laden vehicles or vests--are left to field commanders and explosives specialists. It is not unusual for a bomber to be told about the details of a mission mere minutes before launching the attack. Marwan says he thought he was going on his operation when his commander sent him to meet TIME. Iraqi Interior Ministry officials claim they have evidence showing that many of the bombers are drafted involuntarily...