Perspektif

An Analysis of The New Al-Qaeda:Tactics, Threats and The Intel Challenges Ahead

Would it be wrong to say that the al Qaeda that we used to know is no longer that al Qaeda? Well, most probably not as it is quite possible to see a change in the tactics of the organization. The once upon a time suicide bombers are no longer on the stage. Instead, what can be called as small units or small bombers have become more popular and the most striking examples of this can be seen in Boston, London and Paris attacks. These attacks were not carried out by huge bombs or cars or trucks by a large group of professionals. On the contrary, “young men allegedly carried out attacks with little help, using inexpensive, widely available knives and explosives from everyday ingredients.”1 In fact, they even used pressure cookers which anyone can buy from any store just to cook food more quickly. Moreover, as for the recent Charlie Hebdo attack the terrorists did not even resort to bombs. They used rifles and carried out such a large scale attack by killing 12 people at once that it has caught the attention of the whole World.