Insights from a Database of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Militants

Field: Social Sciences (Social Sciences)

AbstractAbstractThis article uses a novel database of 1,625 posthumously published biographies of members of two Islamist militant organizations (Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM)), all of whom were killed in the course of carrying out militant attacks. In general, each biography provides data on the militant's birthplace, education, recruitment, and training. The number of observations in this database is a full order of magnitude larger than those of previous databases assembled from militant biographies. While the sample of militants in this database is the product of multiple selection effects, analysis of the database undermines many common myths about Pakistani militants and casts doubt on current policy approaches to mitigating Islamist militancy in Pakistan.Key Words: Pakistani TerrorismTerrorist RecruitmentQuality of TerrorLashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM)KashmirIndia-Pakistan Conflict AcknowledgementsFirst and foremost, the author would like to thank her colleagues at the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, especially Don Rassler and Nadia Shoeb. Ms Shoeb was responsible for extracting the data elements from the Urdu-language biographies. Without her, there would be no dataset. Without Mr Rassler's commitment to this project, providing its intellectual and programmatic guidance as well as financial support, there would also be no dataset. The biographies employed by the CTC team are derived from the author's personal collection as well as from the much more extensive collection provided by Arif Jamal, another CTC team member. Anirban Ghosh not only performed statistical analysis for the CTC project he also provided statistical support for this analysis. In addition to the CTC, the author is grateful to the British International Studies Association for allowing her to present this article at its 2012 conference (held in Edinburgh, Scotland) and the many participants who contributed valuable comments. The author also thanks the US Naval War College for sponsoring that presentation. The author also thanks the Georgetown School of Foreign Service for subsidizing the analysis herein by funding both the work of Mr Ghosh as well as that of Ms Sarah Watson. Ms Watson provided meticulous editorial assistance. Mr Sun Lee, an undergraduate at Georgetown University, created the district-wise maps used herein. Despite the contributions of many, I alone am responsible for any errors of fact or interpretation.Additional informationNotes on contributorsC. Christine FairC. Christine Fair is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Peace and Security Studies (CPASS) within Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Her research focuses on political and military affairs in South Asia. She has authored, co-authored and co-edited several books, including From the Jaws of Defeat: The Pakistan Army's Strategic Culture (OUP 2014); Treading Softly on Sacred Ground: Counterinsurgency Operations on Sacred Space (OUP 2008); The Madrassah Challenge: Militancy and Religious Education in Pakistan (USIP 2008); Fortifying Pakistan: The Role of US Internal Security Assistance (USIP 2006); and The Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States (Globe Pequot 2008), among others; and has written numerous peer-reviewed articles covering a range of security issues in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.