Lexington Books
Pages: 230
•
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-4985-1648-8 • Hardback • October 2015 • $103.00 • (£79.00)
978-1-4985-1650-1 • Paperback • September 2017 • $46.99 • (£36.00)
978-1-4985-1649-5 • eBook • October 2015 • $44.50 • (£34.00)
Khuram Iqbal is assistant professor of counter-terrorism at the National Defense University, Pakistan.
Acknowledgements
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1: History of Suicide Terrorism in Pakistan
Chapter 2: Research Problems and Methodology
Chapter 3: Militant Landscape of Pakistan: The Environmental Level
Chapter 4: Driving Forces of Suicide Terrorism in Pakistan: The Organisational Level
Chapter 5: Motivating Factors of Suicide Terrorism in Pakistan: Individual Level
Chapter 6: Suicide Terrorism in Pakistan: A Multi-Causal Phenomenon
Chapter 7: Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendices
Appendix 1: Chronology of Suicide Attacks in Pakistan (1995–2012)
Appendix 2: Profiling Suicide Bombers in Pakistan
What factors are responsible for the intensification of suicide attacks in Pakistan since 9/11? Which groups are primarily responsible for carrying out these attacks? What is the background of the attackers? Is suicide terrorism in Pakistan comparable to what is seen in the Middle East? Basing his book on interviews of unsuccessful suicide attackers, recorded videos of deceased attackers, and audio/video materials provided by terrorist groups themselves, Iqbal pieces together a picture of suicide terrorism in Pakistan. The author claims that feelings of revenge and the perceived effectiveness of the tactic are the primary motivating factors behind suicide attacks. Understanding the nature of suicide terrorism in Pakistan may make it possible to develop effective policies to address this problem. The author’s findings shed light on the implications of the country’s ongoing war against the Pakistani Taliban and its allied groups as well as the global war on terror. Iqbal deserves praise for his painstaking research and analysis of a phenomenon that is often reported in the news but rarely studied in depth. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries.
— Choice
The book under review is the first analytical and an in depth study on what the author calls the making of Pakistani human bombs. . . .The book has useful information and data on suicide attacks in the form of Chronology of Suicide Attacks in Pakistan (1995-2012) and Profiling Suicide Bombers in Pakistan. It will significantly add to the existing literature on violence and terrorism in Pakistan with a focus on suicide bombers.
— Pakistan Horizon
The suicide bomber has become the single most effective and terrifying weapon of modern terrorism. Recently, Pakistan has suffered the world’s third highest number of casualties from suicide bombs with more than 5000 individuals killed between 1995 and 2012 and countless more injured and seriously traumatised. The tactic has continued to pose a major threat to Pakistani national security, with the targets primarily the security forces, politicians and members of minority Muslim sects. However, by far, the majority of the victims have been innocent civilians. The Making of Pakistani Human Bombs by Khuram Iqbal is, therefore, a timely and highly important contribution to our understanding of this complex phenomenon. A professor with the National Defence University of Pakistan and fluent in Urdu and two major regional languages, Iqbal’s background and previous employment, including that of a lecturer to various law enforcement agencies, has enabled him to undertake groundbreaking research into suicide bombing in Pakistan.... Further research is needed into suicide terrorism in Pakistan, particularly the precise role of radical and highly controversial interpretations of Islamic law which are used to justify the tactic as well as the use of the tactic in sectarian (as distinct from anti-regime) violence. The Making of Pakistani Human Bombs provides an excellent basis on which to conduct such research.
— Critical Studies on Terrorism
The Making of Pakistani Human Bombsis packed full of original information and valuable as a reference document.... [T]he book provides valuable insights into the Pakistan human bomber situation (which also affects Afghanistan and India), covering the period up to June 2014.
— Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism
This is an excellent conceptual and empirical examination of the causes, nature and manifestations of suicide bombings in Pakistan. . . . a major contribution to the academic literature on suicide terrorism.
— Perspectives on Terrorism