Counter Terrorism
A Military Perspective
Overview
• My Personal Background
• International Terrorism / Middle East
– Focused on Israel
• Life of Terrorism
• Counter Terrorism
– Offensive
– Defensive
– Punitive
• Discussion
World Terrorism
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Terrorism is EVERYWHERE
State sponsored
State Financed
Activities include
– Organized crime
– Counterfeiting
– Smuggling
Iraq
Iran
Libya
Lebanon
Syria
Sudan
Arab Terrorist Organizations
Active in the Middle East
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)
Palestinian
Fatah - Revolutionary Council (Abu Nidal Organization)
Lebanon
Fatah Tanzim
Palestinian
Force 17
Palestinian
Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement)
Palestinian
Hizballah (Party of God)
Lebanon
Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)
Iraq
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
Palestinian
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command
Palestinian
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
Palestinian
Popular Struggle Front (PSF)
Syria
Life with Terrorism
A Vivid Image
Counter Terrorism
International Activity
• UN Resolutions
– General Assembly
– Security Council
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International Treaties / Conventions
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International convention for the suppression of terrorist bombings
Convention on the marketing of plastic explosives
Tokyo convention on offenses and other acts committed aboard aircraft
Hague convention on the suppression of unlawful seizure of aircraft
Convention against the taking of hostages
Convention on the physical protection of nuclear materials
• Terrorist Trials
Counter Terrorism
Components
• Operative Measures
– Military activities against terrorist targets.
• Defensive
– Activities targeted at stopping and disrupting
attempted terrorist attacks.
• Punitive Measures
– Legal activity aimed at punishing operatives
and planners as well as terrorist supporters
Counter Terrorism
Goals
• Minimize the Extents of Terrorist activity
and its resulting damage
• Focus effort on damaging terrorist
organizations
• Target leaders and planners
• Strike at terrorist infrastructure
• Undermine terrorist morale
Operative Measures
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Aerial bombardments
Land incursions
Naval operations
Pinpoint strikes
• Which one do you use?
Air Strikes
• Targets
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Command Centers
Training bases
Staging areas
Ammo/equipment depots
Living quarters
Military positions
Bunkers
Special facilities (Radio stations)
Air Strikes
Terrorist Adaptations
• Make it harder to hit only us – Settle where
there is abundant civilian population.
• If you can’t see us, you can’t hit us – Never
stay more than is needed in one place.
Air Strikes
Advantages/Disadvantages
• Readily available
• Does not require long range planning
• Is often inaccurate
• May take innocent lives
Ground Incursions
• Used primarily in circumstances where
aerial bombardment is difficult
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Caves
Well fortified positions
Proximity to civilian population
Thick concentration of AAA
Ground Incursions
Advantages/Disadvantages
• Requires Special forces
– More manning, special training, special
equipment
• Hazardous
• Often results in much larger campaigns than
intended
Naval Attacks
• Used
– Against Enemy naval bases
– As Shore artillery platform
– To counter smuggling (equipment, personnel)
Naval Attacks
Advantages/Disadvantages
• Requires difficult to get intelligence
• Difficult to pinpoint locations/times
CT Units
• So how do they do it?
• What do they go through (training)
• Can you be one?
Mista’arviim
Missions
• Gather intelligence
• Target terrorists – Quick raids
• Hostage rescue
Mista’arviim
Training
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Language
Camouflage
Urban/Satellite photo Navigation
Customs, Tradition, behavior
CQB
Unarmed combat
Targeting the Leaders
• Serves a dual purpose
– Punishment for those responsible for the attacks
– Preventing future terror
• Requires
– Precise Intelligence
– Extremely complex Planning
– Flawless execution
Targeting the Leaders
Continued
• Results include – Damaging the stability of the terrorist organizations
– Increase competition and tensions between possible
heirs
– Obligate resources to find hiding places for leadership
protection
– Lowers morale
– Sabotage planned attacks
Defensive Operations
• Deterrence
• Warning
• Prevention
Aimed at damaging and disrupting the ability
to carry out attacks
Legal & Punitive Measures
• Aimed at applying legal measures to punish
those practicing and aiding terrorist activities
– Deterrence
A Case Study
Taibeh Raid - March 3, 2000
Background Information
• Taibeh - a 35,000 person Israeli-Arab city.
• In March 3, 2000, the Israeli General
Security Service (SHABACH) received
information from Palestinian collaborators
that a group of terrorists is in Taibeh,
preparing for major attacks against big
Israeli cities during the weekend.
The Action
• 05:00 - Siege placed on the house,
and the perimeter is secured
• Since there were no hostages present, there wasn't
any rush to break in.
• Negotiators started calling the terrorists to
surrender.
• One of the terrorists comes out and surrendered to
the security forces.
The Action Continues
• Few hours later two more terrorists come
out one holding a suitcase
• Suddenly one of them draws a handgun.
• The unit's operators immediately opened
fire, killing the two terrorists.
• The suitcase contained an explosive charge,
which exploded injuring an operator, who
was standing close to the terrorists.
Several Hours Later
• After spotting no movement inside the house, a
trained dog was sent in to search for explosives.
• The dog found one charge, which exploded killing
the dog.
• In order not to risk any more dogs, a police
Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) robot was
sent in the house and fired its shotgun at
suspicious objects.
• When the robot found nothing, more dogs were
sent in to the house and came out safe, without
finding explosives.
Demolishing the house
• At that time, it was decided to bring in an
armored Israeli Defense Force (IDF)
Caterpillar D9 bulldozer to destroy the house,
burying the terrorists alive in the ruins - a
standard operating procedure when no
hostages are present. When the bulldozer
approached the house, a terrorist tried to fire at
the driver and was taken out by a sniper.
Storming the House
• After the house was totally demolished,
operatives stormed the ruins looking for the
remaining terrorists.
• The operators found two bodies - one
belonging to the terrorists killed by Unit
sniper, and another killed during the
bulldozer's destroying of the house.
Results
• Total results of the Taibeh raid –
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Four terrorists killed
One terrorist captured alive
One dog killed
One lightly injured operative.
QUESTIONS???