Sri Lankans are still recovering from the shock of the Easter Sunday attacks on three five-star hotels and three churches. Additionally, there were concealed explosives which were detected and defused; some were neutralised by ‘controlled’ blasting. Sleeper cells are being discovered. As families mourn, millions are asking, “Why did this happen? Why did they target churches and hotels?
Terrorism is not something new to us. We had overcome that threat as a united country. What our citizens cannot comprehend is the new dimension of preplanned attacks on ‘multiple soft targets’ and the rationale (if any) or justification. The ancient Chinese General Sun Tzu said, “Know your enemy.” Before we talk about the attacks, we must understand the influence of radicalisation and terrorist ideology.
Defining extremism
Today, extremism has crossed transnational boundaries and seeks to threaten the rule of sovereign states. It takes the form of individual and collective acts of hatred and intolerance. Extremism can be identified in the realm of politics, religion, ethnicity and other anti-social ideologies. Extremists spread their vendetta of destruction using various methods from the internet to one-on-one encounters. The keynote speaker at the Colombo Defence Seminar 2017, US Navy Admiral William Fallon said, “Terror is not an ideology: it is a tool.” This is why isolated communities become fertile grounds for extremism. Extremism uses violence to achieve the desired goal. These actions violated all human rights as innocent civilians took the brunt of the radicalised assault. It had a ripple effect on the nation’s economy, tourism and regional security.
Radicalisation
Why do people swear allegiance to extremist doctrines? The reasons presented to brainwash potential recruits are the lack of missed education opportunities, lack of employment, perceived discrimination on the basis of religion, language and ethnicity which again produce imaginary marginalisation, not meeting desired political aspirations and a sense of self-inflicted disenfranchisement.
One must understand that radicalisation is an individual and human process. It is an individual choice. A person chooses to follow his or her beliefs or doctrines. They are influenced by others who endorse the same beliefs. Terrorist ideology also promises rewards – recognition (for those with low self-esteem), monetary gifts and spiritual exaltation to members. Extreme groups have successfully used internet-based social media platforms to recruit vulnerable young men and women. Internet then becomes a faceless conduit where young radicals chat - taking their final orders from a handler.
Black Sunday
On April 23, the Amaq news agency, the media arm of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks on the churches and hotels. (Amaq was formed in 2014). We are surprised to see the radicalisation of a few disgruntled Sri Lankans who would betray their motherland for jihadist ideology. There is mounting evidence towards the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ). According to the SITE Intelligence agency based in Maryland, USA, there are almost 80 groups affiliated to jihadist doctrines including Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al-Nusra and the Afghan Taliban. Others with more zealous names include Tawhid Brigade, Shield of Islam, Regiment of the Promised Day, Arrows of Righteousness and Ansar al-Islam.
I must pause to mention that the Muslim community in Sri Lanka has a rich cultural and religious heritage. They have lived together in harmony with other communities for decades. Many prudent Muslims have excelled in various fields including the Armed Forces and Police. But sadly, the perpetrators of the deadly Easter Sunday terror attacks were radicalised Muslims.
Mitigating urban assault
Confronting an armed enemy in an urban environment is not the same as inside a jungle or open terrain. This technique of fighting is termed in the military as FIBUA- Fighting in Built-up Areas or Urban Warfare.
Shooting back at a concealed enemy inside public buildings such as hotels, malls and places of religious worship is a challenge. The Sri Lankan Armed Forces and Police have their highly-trained and experienced teams such as the Commando Regiment (Anti Hijack Rescue Team), Special Forces Regiment and Special Task Force (Police). During the raids in safe houses, the STF (SWAT Teams) were able to display their speed and prowess to the world. In addition, the EOD Teams (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) risked their lives to defuse bombs concealed in vehicles.
Why did the terrorists choose hotels and churches? They are both ‘soft targets’ with minimum defensive security and maximum crowds on a day like Easter Sunday. No one will look with suspicion at a person in a church - which is why we saw the human bomber walking into the Negombo Church, talking to his handler on the way. The Shrine of St. Anthony is an internationally venerated place - hence the terrorist would gain maximum publicity from striking this soft target.
Restaurants are venues where people relax and enjoy fellowship. Hotels are home to foreigners - again terrorists get their global mix of innocent victims - from Western nations, who are coalition partners fighting the ISIS on many fronts. Being the island of world-renowned hospitality, guests’ baggage is not subject to individual search. The terrorists took advantage of our cultural tolerance and were able to carry their explosive-laden bags into the opulent hotels. These attacks were planned in advance and coordinated with precision.
A terrorist attack has five elements:
1. Target selection
2. Target reconnaissance (monitoring)
3. Planning the attack
4. The actual attack (detonating bombs)
5. Escape plan
In the Easter Sunday scenario, point number 5 was altered as some terrorist chose to die in suicide attacks. As speculated throughout this week, there are many others of this radicalised clan seeking revenge.
Combating extremism
Police have a key role in this task - they are the first point of contact with the public. Police teams got into action and began tracking down suspects. The people’s trust in the response time of their local police stations must be enhanced. Information on suspected terror cells and members must be consistently monitored and shared with all national security agencies under one unified command.
A point of concern for the public was the blocking of social media, especially WhatsApp, though it is still used via VPN. Social media can be positively used to share the photos of suspects and vehicles carrying explosives. It can be used to rapidly transfer the photo of a suspect to a police officer. The people must use discernment not to spread hate or violence on social media.
Sri Lankans make a serious mistake of crowding at crime scenes after the primary explosion. This can motivate a second suicide bomber to detonate himself as the curious crowd increases. Crowding hampers the work of emergency responders.
We always tend to generalise and profile a terror suspect – do not think every radical terrorist will sport a beard and chant something in Arabic. Here is a classic example - there is an exclusive jihadist group in Germany made up of white Germans called the German Mujahedeen (mujad is one who engages in jihad). These guys can come to Colombo as tourists and check into a hotel with German passports. Would anyone suspect them? This is why the police and public must be alert for anyone who seems strange in a given setting. General Napoleon once said, “There are two powers in this world: the sword and the mind. The sword will be beaten by the mind.” We, as a nation, must garner the support of all allied nations and use their collective intelligence to mitigate future radicalised threats.
Another dormant threat for our nation is the use of airborne terror assaults. This can be done by a person using a glider or winged flying suit to land on the site of an open carnival, cricket stadium or religious festival. If not, drones can be used to carry explosives. The payload can be detonated into crowds that gather at events which draw thousands into one space.
A drone can be crippled by ‘spoofing’- disturbing its navigation data and redirecting its flight path. Security cannot be compromised to accommodate a religious aura or spiritual atmosphere. Divine protection does exist, but we must take pragmatic precaution.
Colombo is seeing the entry of majestic high-rise towers. This development is good. Yet, these towers if not monitored 24/7 can give a team of concealed terrorist snipers an ideal vantage point from which to shoot indiscriminately on an innocent crowd.
Today, there are gunfire locators that can pick up the shockwave from a supersonic bullet, but this can be used only by a military counter sniper. In this backdrop, we need to have a helicopter-based rapid response task force to mitigate asymmetric air threats in the urban landscape. Another futuristic threat (already used in Western nations) is the Remote Controlled Weapons Station (RCWS). This is a platform where a mounted gun (7.62 mm gun or 40mm auto grenade launcher) can be fired by remote control (the operator concealed in a vehicle or nearby building). Parts of such a system can be smuggled over a period and assembled to suddenly unleash terror on the public. The threat of urban assault remains a clear and present danger.
This is our watch; let us stand united to protect Sri Lanka.
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