There are various typologies of terrorism the
Wilkenson typology (cited in Shultz, 1978) divide terrorism
into three generalized categories. Revolutionary terrorism, sub-revolution”, terrorism and repressive terrorism. revolutionary terrorism is aimed at “bringing
about political revolution” sub-revolutionary terrorism” is employed for political motives other
than revolution” while repressive
terrorism is government directed
terror aimed at “restraining certain groups, individuals or forms of
behaviours deemed to be
undesirable.
For
Madunagu (2005) two types of
terrorism exist-state terrorism and civil society terrorism” the former
directed against the civil population while the later against
the state. At another level, there is inter-state terrorism and intra-civil
society terrorism where the former characterizes a state divided
against it and the later described what is known in Nigeria as communal /inter
ethnic clashes other are
1.
State –sponsored
terrorism- used by radical states
as foreign policy tools; Blodgett(1999) traced
state – sponsored terrorism to world war I when Germany launched over 110,000 chemical shells
filled with phosgene in their final offensive against the French in Verdun during the summer
of 1916.
It is estimated by historians that the Germans reliance on chemical
weapon resulted in deaths that ranged from 300,000 to 900,000 individuals during
the World War I (Ciampi, 2005). This implies that terrorism may occur both in the context of
violente resistant to a state as well as in the service of state interests.
(Crenshaw, 1981).
2.
National
terrorism- used by group seeking
to form a separate state for their own national group, often by drawing attentions to a fight
for national liberation eg Irish
republican army, Basque fatherland and
liberty etc.
3.
Religious
terrorism-= Certain religious groups have been associated with terrorism. they
usually seek to use violence to achieve a divine casue eg. Al- Qaeda network, Palestinian Sunni
Moslim organization HAMAS, the Lebanese
Shiite group Hezbollah, the radical
Jewish group affiliated with late Rabbi Meir Kahane, the Israeli extremists, branch Gold stein (who
machine ground muslim worshippers in a Hebron Mosque in
1994) etc.
4.
Left wing
terrorism – left wing developed following the
contradictions of capitalism. The
major of this kind is outright elimination of capitalism and subsequent
replacement with a communist or socialist regime eg. the Baader Mainhef group (Germany),
Japanese Red Army, the Weathermen (1070’s America ) and
the Red Brigades (Italy) with the
fall of the Soviet Union and the end to Cold War, left –wing terrorism is now uncommon.
5.
Right-wing
terrorism – These groups seek to do away
with liberal democratic government and
create fascist states in their place
neo-fascist terrorists frequently attack
immigrants and refugees from the developing world and
are both racist and anti-Semitic.
6.
Transnational and domestic terrorism or insurgent terrorism (Barkan and Snowden,
2001) is another typ9ology. the 1995
truck bombing of a nine-story building
in Oklahoma city resulting in 168 deaths
and more than 200 injured is a typical
example of domestic terrorism while
1988 bombing of pan-am flight
103 in Lockshire which took the live
of 270 people is transnational terrorism
(CNN 2001). others include:
7.
Agro-terrorism:
the malicious use of plant or animal
pathogens to cause devastating disease
in the agricultural sector.
8.
Bio-terrorism: it
is a terrorism by internal release or disseminating of biological agents
(bacteria virus or toxins).
9.
Eco-terrorism: These are threats or acts of violence
both against people and property,
sabotage, vandalism and intimidation committed in the ideological system.
10.
Nuclear
–terrorism- This denotes the use of
nuclear weapons, radiological weapons(duty bombing ) or attacks against facilities that handle nuclear materials with
the at mass destruction.
Cyber-terrorism: this is unlawful attacks and threats
of attack against computer networks
and information stored therein to intimidate
or force the government or its people in furtherance of political or social objectives.