Female Suicide Bombers (Carlisle Papers in Security Strategy)

Abstract

Suicide bombers are today's weapon of choice. Terrorists are using suicide bombers because they are a low cost, low technology, and low risk weapon. Suicide bombers are readily available, require little training, leave no trace behind, and strike fear into the general population. The success of suicide bombers depends upon an element of surprise, as well as accessibility to targeted areas or populations. Both of these required elements have been enjoyed by women suicide bombers. Female suicide bombers were used in the past; however, the recent spate of them in different venues, in different countries, and for different terrorist organizations forces us to study this terrorist method. This research paper reviews historical female suicide bombers, focuses on female suicide bomber characteristics, analyzes recent changes in application by various terrorist organizations, and provides implications of change within a strategic assessment of future female suicide bombings.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA430128

Entities

People

  • Debra D. Zedalis

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Border Security
  • Business Administration
  • Counterterrorism
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Education
  • Electronic Mail
  • Homeland Security
  • Man Borne Improvised Explosive Devices
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Students
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Universities
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design