Lessons from Sri Lankan suicide attacks CENJOWS 30 Apr 19
https://cenjows.gov.in/article-detail?id=162
Lessons from Sri Lankan suicide attacks CENJOWS 30 Apr 19
The suicide attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday which claimed over 250 lives brought forth stark reminders to the world that despite all progress in technology, monitoring of even remote militant groups, such attacks would continue. Sri Lanka, post the end of its bloody civil war, had witnessed peace and development. Tourism had become a revenue earner and the nation was moving forward, despite a fragile economy and mounting debts to China.
During the over 25-year Sri Lankan civil war, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) had employed suicide bombers as a weapon. They had launched more than 125 suicide attacks which took the lives of two prime ministers, Rajiv Gandhi in India and Ranasinghe Premadasa in Sri Lanka as also many innocents and soldiers. The worst was the suicide attack on the Sri Lankan army barracks in 1987, which killed over 50 soldiers.
The Muslim population in Sri Lanka is barely 7% and Christians even lesser. Muslims mostly reside in Sinhalese areas and have merged well within the country. However, the return of ISIS recruits added a new dimension. Sri Lanka had a handful, with Maldives many more. Thus, radicalization does exist in the region.
Most violence perpetrated on Muslims has been by Buddhist extremists. Hence, if there was to be revenge, it should have been on the Buddhist community. Most Christians in the country are Roman Catholics and hence represent western culture. Attacking Christians and tourists implies that instructions for the same would have come from abroad. The intention being to send a message to the western world that their culture could be targeted in every part of the globe.
Suicide attacks are now being employed as a weapon by all terrorist groups as these result in innocent casualties which make for headlines and provides immense publicity to the cause. They then become a means of obtaining fresh volunteers. They are a common occurrence in all troubled regions of the globe, whether it be Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan or Pakistan.
Choosing Easter was also with an intention. It is a day of celebration and earlier attacks on Christians have happened on this date. There was an attack on Churches in Egypt two years ago and in Nairobi a few years prior to that.
India recently had a suicide attack in Pulwama, Kashmir which claimed the lives of over forty soldiers. Radicalizing youth on religious grounds and convincing them of their responsibility to attack non-believers including by launching suicide strikes is on the rise. There was a video on social media recently of young boys in war torn Syria radicalized by the ISIS, swearing to be suicide bombers as they grow older.
Earlier it was presumed that those involved in such attacks were either unemployed or illiterate. 9/11 changed that perception as the suicide attackers were not only educated but had spent time in western cultures however remained uninfluenced. The Sri Lankan suicide bombers were also educated and from wealthy families. Two of them had studied abroad, one each in UK and Australia.
So high was the level of indoctrination that when the police entered the house of Ilham Ahmed, one of the suicide attackers, his pregnant wife Fatima set off another bomb killing herself and her three children, apart from taking the lives of three policemen who had entered for the search. In investigations and actions to neutralize any remaining suicide attackers, post the incident, hardcore members of the group trapped, have preferred to blow themselves and their families, rather than be arrested.
The Sri Lankan government has blamed the National Thowheed Jama’ath (NTJ) as the group behind the attack. Responsibility has subsequently been claimed by the ISIS, which shared a video of the attackers. There have also been reports of the attack being an act of revenge against the strike in a Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, however this remains unconfirmed and presently a speculation.
In this era when terrorist or suicide attacks by lone wolfs or small groups, seeking to stay below security radar are becoming the order of the day, security agencies cannot afford to miss even a single clue. Intelligence reports would always remain vague with immense gaps, making the task of agencies more difficult. Ignoring such clues can be catastrophic.
In the case of the Pulwama attack, there were opaque reports of a vehicle borne suicide attack along the national highway, which was ignored. In the Sri Lankan case, India and the US had shared some inputs, Indian inputs based on an investigation in Coimbatore, which were either ignored or not considered seriously, leading to mass casualties.
The attacks in Sri Lanka raises multiple issues. Collecting and assembling such quantities of explosives cannot be done by only motivated youth. It requires expertise, connections and time. Like in the Pulwama incident, the explosives were collected over time and the expert to assemble the car bomb had infiltrated from Pakistan. Similarly, there would have been an outside element, maybe in assisting procurement, however definitely in assembly. Further, such an attack requires training, which must involve an outside element.
A member of the family involved in the attacks, Ismail Ibrahim had been on the run since explosives were discovered in his compound and he had been accused of being involved in attempting to destroy ancient Buddhist Shrines at Anuradhapura. Ignoring this incident and not questioning other members of the family for the discovery of explosives was a grave mistake on the part of investigative agencies. It highlights that small clues, especially when it concerns explosives, can never be ignored.
The third major concern is the impact of online radicalization. ISIS may no longer be a potent military force, but their ability to influence lone wolf attacks across the globe remains. While attacks in other parts of the globe, including Europe, have had less casualties, they continue to occur. There must be specific actions initiated by international agencies to monitor and block sites which preach hatred and radicalize. Religion should not be a considering factor.
Zakir Naik, the fugitive Indian preacher, being granted sanctuary in Malaysia on religious grounds is a live example. He preaches hatred and promotes enmity between religions. He fled India after terrorists who attacked the café in Dacca and killed 22 innocents claimed to be his admirers. Protecting such people will only enhance risks of similar attacks in the future. While action to declare him as an offender through the Interpol is being done, it may remain unsuccessful.
Another aspect is the growing tendency of small groups, avoiding security radars to be able to assemble, plan and launch strikes. Many members of such groups have never been on the security watchlist. This is an international trend. Human intelligence is the only answer and hence the reach and influence of security agencies must be vast and widespread.
The Pak connection to the Lankan blasts has yet to be confirmed, though investigation on the same is progressing. For the ISI, a foothold in Sri Lanka is ideal as it enables their expansion into South India. This is being explored as a possible link as the Pakistani High Commissioner to Sri Lanka a few years ago was an ex-ISI chief and he had been accused of sending Sri Lankan youth to Madrassas in Pak.
Investigations would in time reveal those behind the attack and those who supported it. It is essential that lessons which emerge from this dastardly attack are imbibed and acted upon. Laxity of the nature observed in Sri Lanka cannot be accepted as innocent lives remain at risk. The importance of Human and Signal Intelligence cannot be more highlighted.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army