why do terrorists are unable to choose and attack strategic targets?

Question

why do these terrorists
lack the ability to choose and attack strategic targets (ones when destroyed actually produce results) and seem to be attracted to buses, subways and airports like mosquitoes to an electric lantern?

Take Glasglow Aiport in the UK. What did that accomplish when they set themselves on fire and drove themselves into an airport? What political, economical or strategic value did it have? Far as I know none.

No I ask to understand how these so called threats to the western world plan things. Far as I am concerned, if we could figure out why they choose such pizz poor targets, I say would should do everything we can to keep them on that path (to prevent them from figuring out how to cause major damage.) Yes they are choosing targets, just not ones that would have a major effect.

Successful terrorism usually creates what is called the propaganda of the deed. In short, it should be done in a way to rally support from the locals or have the locals lose support for the current reigning power. As someone mentioned, I do not want them to win, so I will not mention what targets would be of most value. If they cannot figure it out, so be it. However, attacking airports at random tend to gather public support against them, thus strengthening the regime they intend to topple, diminishing their cause.

Yes it creates an aura of fear, however it gives justification for goverments to become stronger and gain more power then actually weaking them. It makes people rally behind the current goverment, not give up the support out of terror. This is counter productive and does not help whatever the heck their cause is.

Answer 1

i think you are confused. they pick targets just fine. they are just too dumb to construct a workable bomb... your example- i dont think they intended on lighting themselves on fire. they just had a poorly constructed bomb and tried unsuccessfully to ram the terminal. lucky for us, most of the time these guys dont know what they are doing... why would you ask this anyways??? do you want them to be successful??

Answer 2

Attacking a high value strategic target would take a lot of complicated planning, a lot of money and a lot of communication. The people most likely to try and do this are being hunted right now. Even meetings between them are risking their lives. As a result, most of the attacks you hear about right now are small scale and amateurish and likely to fail. Even so it does produce very notable side effects...fear, panic, distrust and chaos...terror. That's why they're called Terrorists.

Answer 3

sorry, but you'll probably find that they are attacking strategic targets - just that it's their strategy not yours.

typical hard targets such as royal family, government installations, military forces etc...are strongly protected [believe it or not] and therefore chances are slim of a success. these would be a major "coup" if they could be pulled off, but take years of planning, with very low success rate. e.g kidnap of Princess Anne

with the choice of soft targets, the terrorists are hoping that the fear and panic caused by them will stir the general population into making the government change it's course of action through "voting power or public opinion". e.g IRA bombing campaign of mid-70's

Answer 4

The main aim of terrorism is to create fear amongst normal people going about their everyday lives that's why they target those doing just that whether it be going to work or taking a holiday.
They are cowards that's why they try to maim and kill innocent civilians and it hits the government where it hurts the most and it could be any of us at any time.We should be grateful that they don't know how to build successful bombs yet.

Answer 5

The goals of attacking airports and other "soft" targets is that, (1) they create widespread panic, (2) they disrupt the larger economy, (3) the response from the governments create further economic disruption, and (4) they are relatively easy targets.

A terrorist can accomplish his goals much easier by attacking innocent people who are not equipped to fight back.

Answer 6

It IS a strategic attack. They don't want to disable the UK military, they don't want to undermine the economy (though if they can it's probably a bonus) they want to kill people. That is their goal, the maximum amount of deaths - or possibly the maximum impact of deaths (i.e. vulnerable targets). What would be the point of them attacking a barracks or whatever, there is no terrorist nation planning an invasion. They want to create fear and mistrust, and killing indiscriminately is the best way to do that.

Answer 7

Face it, there are not the tens of millions of terrorists that Cheney and the others claim. There are realtively few, given how few we have apprehended. And like the Shaker religion where sex was prohibited, so the population declined to nearly nothing, terrorists that use suicide bombings as their trademark tend to run out of idiots by natural elimination.

Answer 8

They wish to make people feel not safe in their own homes, on their own street in their own country. Car bombs have been very hard to defend against and cause the most damage to a innocent civilian population.

Answer 9

Look to Northern Ireland and who makes up the government there.

Answer 10

They seem smart enough to follow military maxim

"Attack enemy at their weakest link" which is the least protected.

Beside the news of their attack is spread around the globe. That's enough for them.

Btw.......
Terrorist is the only one who able to strike the deepest heart of the strongest military in the world.....Pentagon