While there is a great deal of debate on what constitutes terrorism and who is a terrorist, there is little doubt that youths are beginning to play a significant role in this particular arena. Structured and deliberate strategies have been formulated by terrorists to radicalise and recruit young people into committing acts of violence. The advantages in targeting the youths into joining terrorists groups are many and terrorists are displaying increased capability and capacity in enlisting them. This coupled with the growing exploitation of technology such as the Internet has allowed the terrorists a far and wide reach.
The Mumbai attacks in 2008 that left 165 civilians and security personnel dead was a series of ten coordinated attacks orchestrated by ten individuals. What was chilling was the common thread that bound them together – they were all young. Besides the eldest terrorist, Nazir/Abu Umer who was 28 years old, the average age of the other nine terrorists was only 23 years. The leader, Ismail Khan was just 25 years old.
Why the Youth?
Youths with no prior police records (or ‘clean skins’ as the Real IRA called them) allow the terrorist group more operational freedom as the involvement of youths would reduce the likelihood of arrest of the more senior terrorist leaders. Such youths also have the added advantage of allaying suspicion on the part of the security and enforcement authorities.
Where do They Get the Youths?
Prison, ironically, provides a contributory environment for terrorist recruitment. They are said to be the breeding grounds for radicalisation and are ‘places of vulnerability’, which, due to the environment, produce ‘identity seekers’, ‘protection seekers’ and ‘rebels’ in greater numbers than in any other environment.
Conclusion
The ability of the terrorists to identify, indoctrinate, recruit and utilise youths for political violence has been both systematic and widespread. They have also demonstrated great sensitivity in crafting out their message to the youths and creativity in exploiting the various technological mediums in reaching out to them.
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