deployment of the PLA Navy ships in the - Information Resource ...

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at sea, these ships are drawing more attention by
terrorist groups. The vulnerability of the Sea Lines of
Communications is well known to terrorists. Osama
bin Ladin’s audio tape warning of attacks on oil
supplies and energy infrastructures clearly indicates
that Al-Qaeda is now aiming to target this critical
vulnerability. Al-Qaeda has trained with LTTE in the past
and has shared training techniques/expertise to
conduct acts of maritime terrorism. According to
Martin N. Murphy in his article “The Unwanted
Challenge”, Al-Suri,
Al-Qaeda strategist,
writes about
• • •
carrying out attacks "...the sea remains the next
in the Straits of strategic step towards ruling the
Hormuz and at Bar world... This region [HOA]
el-Mandeb by
represents a strategic point to
scuttling ships at
expel the enemy from the most
choke points. In
addition, Al-Qaeda important pillars of its battle,,,"
has been closely Maritime Terrorism a Strategic
monitoring the Necessity-posted on a Jihad
success of the
website.
Somali pirates,
• • •
showing their
appreciation of the
pirate’s achievements on their web sites.
Somali Terror Triangle (Failed State-Piracy-
Terrorism) and Implications for International
Security
Failed State. International security threat
perception and policy have changed dramatically
since 9/11, with failed states meriting strategic rather
than simply political importance. As a failed and
ungoverned state since 1991, Somalia poses a threat
to international security with a host of associated
problems. Lawlessness in Somalia has affected the
entire region and created problems such as arms flow,
black market in Kenya by Somali refugees, an
environmental threat with toxic waste dumping along
the coastline, illegal immigrants, illegal fishing by
foreign vessels and, of course, piracy.
Piracy. Somalia has emerged as a strong base
for pirates operating from its shores. Piracy off HOA
(Somalia and Gulf of Aden) accounts for 48% of the
total number of attacks reported in 2009.
Terrorism. Somalia has radical Islam
movements, like the Union of Islamic Courts(IC), Al-
Ittihad al-Islamiyya (AIAI) and Al-Shabab, which share
parallel jihad ideologies and have known links with
Al Qaeda. These groups are known to provide
assistance to transnational Islamic terrorists. According
to Ken Menkhaus in his article ‘Somalia: State Collapse
and the Threat of Terrorism’, due to denial of reliable
bases in Afghanistan and elsewhere with GWOT, Al-
Qaeda has used Somalia not only as a transit or entry
port for a safe haven, but also to spread terrorism. He
adds that even non-AIAI & IC Somali personnel in
Somalia have financial dealings with Al-Qaeda.
Implications for International Security.
Somalia offers an ideal location for Al-Qaeda and
insurgents in maritime terrorism to join hands with the
pirates or local Jihad groups like Al-Shabab. As these
existing links become stronger, Al-Qaeda, using the
expertise and training of these pirates could extend
terrorism to the sea, generate money and strengthen
into a pirate warlord confederacy. These jihadist
groups pose the greatest maritime terror challenge
in the near future due to their global reach and
viewpoint on Jihad.
Understanding & Defining Maritime
Terrorism
A major factor causing debate regarding the
similarities and differences between piracy and
terrorism is the lack of a comprehensive definition that
captures their overlap and links. The definition of
terrorism limits its scope to political objectives, however
it can also have economic, religious, psychological
and/or social objectives. The definition also does not
cover the term “illegal use of violence”, attacks on
combatants and military targets (USS Cole) or
destruction of property. For example the 9/11 World
Trade Center attack was destruction of a ‘symbolic US
property’. The definition of piracy does not include acts
of maritime crime undertaken within the territorial
waters (boundaries of 12 nautical miles) though a
majority of these acts are undertaken within this
region. These anomalies can be addressed by
defining Maritime Terrorism. This would improve
counter terrorism and counter piracy actions by
preventing any breach of sovereignty, ensure
concerted efforts and legalize these actions.
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