Suicide Bombers in Iraq, 2003-2010
Disaggregating Targets Can Reveal Insurgent Motives and Priorities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4086347 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Katherine R Seifert (Independent Sector, corresponding author), Clark Mccauley (0000-0001-8937-302X, Institute of Psychology) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 803-820 |
| Publication date | 2014-10-20 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Terrorism and Political Violence (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0954-6553 • E-ISSN: 1556-1836 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09546553.2013.778198 |
| OpenAlex | W1964145074 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 12 |
| References cited | 1 |
Extending data reported by Mohammed Hafez in 2007, we compiled a database of 1, 779 suicide bombers who attempted or completed attacks in Iraq from 2003 through 2010. From 2003 through 2006, monthly totals of suicide bombers show a pattern different from the pattern of non-suicide insurgent attacks, but from 2007 through 2010 the two patterns were similar. This biphasic pattern indicates that suicide attacks sometimes warrant separate analysis but sometimes are just one tactic in a larger envelope of insurgent violence. We also show that only 13 percent of suicide bombers targeted coalition forces and international civilians, primarily during the early years of the conflict, whereas 83 percent of suicide bombers targeted Iraqis (civilians, members of the Anbar Awakening Movement, Iraqi security forces, and government entities) in attacks that extended throughout the duration of the insurgency. These results challenge the idea that suicide attacks are primarily a nationalist response to foreign occupation, and caution that “smart bombs” may be more often sent against soft targets than hard targets. More generally, our results indicate that suicide attacks must be disaggregated by target in order to understand these attacks as the expression of different insurgent priorities at different times
Al qaeda · Computer security · Criminology · Insurgency · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Terrorism · Health and Conflict Studies · Law · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
How Do Leadership Decapitation and Targeting Error Affect Suicide Bombings? The Case of Al-Shabaab
Brothers in Arms
Divergent Paths to Martyrdom and Significance Among Suicide Attackers
Predictors of terrorist use of suicide attacks
A case for terrorism as genocide in an era of weakened states
Women Suicide Terrorism
Targets and Tactics
Evaluating the impact of repeated leadership targeting on militant group durability
Suicide attacks and religious cleavages
Lessons on Political Violence from America’s Post–9/11 Wars
On suicide bombings
Modern Irregular Warfare
| Unique citing works | 12 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,09 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2025 (11) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 9 |