Chapter 2 continues…

With the freely available media, small groups of terrorists can achieve heavy leverage against powerful opponents by focusing large publicity on politically small events. The impact is mostly psychological and meant for media coverage. But it has the desired effect of promoting fear, shock and awe in the civilian population.

Hence, democratic nations now need to formulate their counter-terrorist strategy keeping this fact in view, not by imposing unreasonable restrictions on democratic freedoms but without destroying the basic structure of democratic practice itself, prepare its citizenry to become hardened to terrorists’ violence. Spiritual guidance is essential for this purpose.

Second, is the incredible sophistication of hand-held weapons, especially it’s miniaturization, and proliferation that have enabled a small number of criminally minded persons to do great harm. The erstwhile Soviet Union was largely the suppliers of these weapons to terrorists starting with AK-47. In 1973,for example,the Italian police nabbed five Arab terrorists who were setting up SA-7 missiles in a rented apartment four miles from Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport. These missiles were intended for use against an Israel civilian airliner. The SA-7 is a Soviet heat-seeking, precision guided missile. It can be carried comfortably on a man’s back and can destroy a plane at altitudes of up to 6,500 feet. United States intelligence sources reported that SA-7 missiles have surfaced in almost all Arab countries and some African nations, including Mozambique.

Libya had obtained from the USSR large quantities of RPG-7 rockets which weigh under ten pounds, can be hand carried and can destroy a tank, a speaker’s platform, or a limousine. In this connection, the IRA is known to have used RPG-7 rockets against armoured British military vehicles and police installations.

Today, terrorist organizations have interlocking arrangement for purchase of parts and spares of a variety of weapons. The LTTE in Sri Lanka had been able to assemble six small planes by shipping in parts from Al Qaeda assisted organizations world wide and in exchange for drug and gun running by the LTTE.

To be continued…