The last ISIS-family suicide bombings in Surabaya is a sign for the government to remain vigilant towards the imminent threat of terrorism which targets women and children as potential actors.
Violent Extremism
Female and children combatants of the different terrorist groups operating in the Philippines possess a myriad of skills. For women, this includes identifying safe havens for fighters, while children help provide surveillance activities of the police and military units in the area.
Since terrorist and violent extremist groups tend to flourish in marginalized areas, no sector in today’s world is at greater risk and remains severely understudied as the stateless women and children targeted for recruitment and radicalization by terrorist organizations.
Women and children aligned with terrorist groups leverage gender and age dynamics for their benefit by claiming ignorance of terrorist acts so as to minimize their culpability.
Armed Forces of the Philippines’ official records show that the NPA communist-terrorist group has killed 13,304 of its troops from 1975 to June 2020. This is four times the soldiers killed by the MNLF and the MILF, and 5.5 times the soldiers killed by the Abu Sayyaf Group.
The evolving threat of violent extremism has underscored the need for a multi-stakeholder response. In Malaysia, initiatives on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) have been predominantly state-led and prioritise reactive or ‘hard’ security measures over lasting prevention.
Indonesian children face an increased risk of online radicalization during COVID-19. This commentary discusses the challenges to prevent such radicalization while proposing how the involvements of social influencers may be a step forward.
The first of this two-part analysis explores the roles of women in terrorism in Indonesia since the 1950s to 2010s. It describes the limited roles women play in these radical movements and the reasons behind their subordination.
The second of this two-part analysis explores the roles of women in terrorism in Indonesia since the ISIS’ declaration of a caliphate in 2013. It describes the expansion of women’s role in terrorism; no longer hiding behind male nom de guerre.
The use of chemical agents by Indonesian extremists still poses a security concern based on their continued interest in their usage. Ricin, abrin and chlorine gas would continue being the agents of choice. Reasons include the relative ease to obtain their precursors.