The Conventional Terrorist Weapons
Terrorism is a grave concern for security agencies worldwide. It is the systematic use of weapons and violence to intimidate populations, as well as governments, in order to bring religious, ideological or political change. Terrorists instill fear by deliberately attacking non-combatants in a bid to effect changes in belief. They target governments and large religious groups, rather than the individuals upon whom they launch their attack. It is more of a psychological attack than it is a physical one (Singh, 2014, July 24).
Terrorists have conventionally taken up the use of bombs and guns as their favorite weapons. There are various categories of bombs that have popularly been employed by terrorists. Car and truck bombs are commonly used by suicide attackers. They also use explosive bombs, parcel and letter bombs. Terrorists rely mostly on improvised bombs, made from readily available chemicals such as fertilizers. They also obtain raw materials by stealing them from the military or from commercial blasting supplies. Different kinds of guns are readily available in illegal international arms markets. The Middle East and Eastern Europe are popular for these markets. Terrorists also use improvised fire arms, made in illegal factories and far from the expected professional standards (Singh, 2014, July 24). Just a few cases of biological and chemical weapons have been experienced, but this is also a major concern as it could happen again in the future.
Technology has contributed to the strengthening of terrorism, to the extent that terrorists are able to organize attacks on nations from diverse locations. Modern day terrorists have been observed to plan their attacks dispersed locations, thus making it difficult to counter their strategies. Trainings have also become decentralized since technology gets more sophisticated by the day. Modern day training camps are small temporary buildings which are not easily detectable. The trainees also remain on the move to avoid intelligence and satellite detection. Training camps are very wary of foreigners and people who are not known to the locals. This makes it very hard for spies to enter the camps. The main aim of training is to indoctrinate the trainees on the significance of jihad. Locals are often forced into the trainings by their families or during madrasas, therefore, it is paramount that the indoctrination take center stage lest the trainees back out. Outstanding students at the camp are given extra lessons in bomb-making and operational security (Keating, 2010, May 10).
One of the most unfortunate aspects of the fight against terrorism is that some states have knowingly refused to give up terrorists and continue to sponsor their terrorist activities on other nations. Terrorism has spread all over the world. It is now an international problem that must be fought internationally. No state is strong enough to counter terrorism by itself. Since terrorists are taking full advantage of the technological enhancements to improve their tact, security forces have no option but to become more proactive and exploit all necessary avenues that will put them at the top of their game. The fight against terrorism and distribution of terror weapons will only be successful when vigilance is employed (Singh, 2014, July 24).
