A suicide attack is violent action against other people or property by an attacker aware that he or she will be killed. The attacker transforms him/herself into an explosive by attaching an explosive device to their bomb, or drive a vehicle—such as a truck—into a building or other structure.
Suicide attacks were made an object of widespread attention during World War II, when Japanese Kamikaze pilots flew their aircraft into allied ships and planes. Suicide attacks are considered the tactic of extremely motivated or committed groups. Their threat is capable of deeply disrupting everyday life, since people, their packages and their vehicles may all become objects of suspicion.
Suicide attacks have been part of the attack arsenal of some Palestinian militant groups, including Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigade (the armed wing of Fatah), and Hamas, as well as the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers. Al Qaeda made use of suicide tactics when attackers flew planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon on 9/11, 2001. The Taliban increased their use of suicide attacks against multi-national forces in Afghanistan in 2006.
