Strategies for countering terrorist safe havens
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Authors
Nielsen, Kenneth E.
Thomson, Robert L.
Subjects
Safe havens
counterinsurgency
demographics
Shining Path
Sendero Luminoso
Peru
Algiers
FLN
Rhodesia
Selous Scouts
Anbar
Sons of Iraq
SOI
leadership targeting
decapitation
containment
pseudo operations
co-opting
surrogate security forces
insurgency.
counterinsurgency
demographics
Shining Path
Sendero Luminoso
Peru
Algiers
FLN
Rhodesia
Selous Scouts
Anbar
Sons of Iraq
SOI
leadership targeting
decapitation
containment
pseudo operations
co-opting
surrogate security forces
insurgency.
Advisors
Gregg, Heather
Date of Issue
2013-12
Date
Dec-13
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
More than a decade after the attacks on 9/11, United States leadership continues to place a high priority on pursuing terrorists and denying them safe havens from which they can recruit, train, and plan operations. In a time of decreasing budgets and growing sentiment avidly against involvement in prolonged wars, the U.S. must adapt strategies to meet the future threats posed by terrorist safe havens. This thesis offers strategies for countering safe havens. It begins by arguing that safe havens are not just geographic areas, but that they also include a demographic component that allows terrorists a population among which to hide. The thesis then presents four strategies aimed at denying geographic and demographic safe havens: leadership targeting within safe havens, tactical containment, pseudo operations, and surrogate security forces. The thesis draws from four historical case studies to examine these strategies, including the Peruvian governments efforts to combat the Shining Path, French containment of the Casbah in Algerias war of independence, Rhodesias Selous Scouts experience with pseudo operations, and U.S. co-option of the Sons of Iraq in Anbar Province. The thesis finds that no single strategy is sufficient for dealing with geographic and demographic safe havens. Rather, a combination of strategies, properly sequenced, can reduce terrorist safe havens. Furthermore, none of these strategies works without counterinsurgency forces positively engaging the population, setting the necessary conditions for separating insurgents from their demographic and geographic supports.
Type
Thesis
Description
Replaced new revision 02/24/2014
Series/Report No
Department
Defense Analysis (DA)
Organization
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Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.