Suicide bombings – one of terror main tools in 2014

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A new report on global trends in suicide terrorism shows that during 2014 more than 4,300 people in more than fifteen countries were killed in suicide bombings. Out of the fifteen countries, Afghanistan and Iraq led the world last year in suicide attacks with an increase in Iraq.

The report shows that Iraq accounts for 40 percent of all such events in the world. “If you’re just following the news on a daily basis, you might have the idea that the entire world has suddenly been engulfed in terrorism and that somehow that was worse in 2014.”

This, according to Robert Pape, Professor of Political Science and the founding faculty director of the Chicago Project on Security & Terrorism (CPOST), which published the report. Pape said, however, that the data show that the increase was limited to Iraq.

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A University of Chicago release reports that the CPOST 2014 Suicide Attack Index is the first one-year summary of suicide attacks that occurred across the world. Pape and his team of CPOST researchers compiled the index and accompanying report. They showed that the total number of confirmed attacks reached 504 in 2014.

CPOST research director Keven Ruby, Ph.D. said one surprise the report made clear is that the number of suicide attacks in Afghanistan has remained relatively constant for several years. “That’s particularly worrisome from a U.S. policy perspective,” said Ruby, “because the United States wants to withdraw militarily from Afghanistan, but there are no signs that the campaign by the Afghan Taliban is letting up.”

According to Home Land Security News wire, the CPOST index highlights key data on world hot spots for attacks and also shows that, with the exception of Nigeria, the majority of suicide bombers were males. The researchers also found that car bombs were the most prevalent weapons, and the targets were overwhelmingly security forces.