Female Suicide Terrorism in South Asia: Comparing the Tamil Separatists and Kashmir Insurgents

Abstract

In this article we compare two conflicts in South Asia—civil war in Sri Lanka and the insurgency in Kashmir—to investigate the enabling conditions for female suicide terrorism in the former, and the lack thereof in the latter. We conclude that female suicide terrorism is a product of several inter-related factors that feed into each other: (i) tormented society, (ii) individual grievances, and (iii) a terrorist organisation with an effective indoctrination structure. Thus, rather than focusing on the individual motivations behind the female bombers, it is important to situate them in specific socio-political contexts.

Keywords

Suicide terrorism female suicide bombers Tamil Tigers Kashmir insurgency Sri Lanka civil war South Asia

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