The development of the concept of asymmetrical war is one of the worst aspects of this century, there are no rules and therefore there are no limits, everything is granted everywhere and in any case. In the common concept of total war, terrorism escapes from the traditional battlefield to gradually creep into the cities. We saw it in the 2001 in New York and we saw it repeat in London in the 2005 and in Madrid in the 2004. In those moments we understood the true meaning of total war and we found ourselves more vulnerable than ever to a security doctrine based on little more than medieval theories.
The use of asymmetric techniques based on rapidity of action and economy bring to the chronicles, more alive than ever, improvised explosive devices, more commonly called IED. The weapon that we can identify and study is the weapon we can fight. These atypical devices are a tool that is born according to the needs of the moment, can be more or less powerful, can contain chemical or biological agents, can have any form the human mind is capable of thinking. These devices are programmed to hit operations carried out at the tactical level but their systematic influence deeply and above all at the strategic level.
In the first analysis, the tactical level, represented by the men moving materially on the battlefield. These are the most exposed to the primary physical and psychological damage expressed by the device, if the soldiers are not killed they suffer serious physical impairments and the psychological trauma is relevant.
Secondly, the strategic level, represented by the political conduct of the mission. This is not directly involved in primary physical violence but is invested by the horror that this arouses in national public opinion. On several occasions, the use of bombs against the same contingent can influence the foreign and military policy of a country that is also quite important. The United States of America itself has been struck by the media flashback that these weapons bring with them. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq started with almost unanimous support from the population, still deeply shaken by the events of the 11 September 2001. The systematic use of bombs against convoys, the loss of hundreds of human lives and the poor results obtained overturned the situation, to date Afghanistan is perhaps considered the most hated military operation together with Vietnam.
FDI is an instrument of political pressure and psychological distress of the troops, excellent in its most negative connotation. Since unconventional, versatile and economic weapons, many terrorist organizations with internationalist aims have deemed it appropriate not to limit their use to Middle Eastern theaters of operation. The threat, real but still limited, of the presence of improvised explosive devices in large cities is an inescapable reality. The great advantage that allowed improvised explosive devices to be usable even in an urban environment is the availability of its components, from chemical ones to mechanical ones. If in the operating theaters the construction of these devices was almost always possible thanks to the massive presence of war remnants, in the cities these are not available but in their absence there are aluminum tubes and material that can be purchased at any local hardware store. The explosive can be synthesized at home with normal household cleaning products - from caustic soda to ammonia - for those who live in areas with a strong agricultural presence there are fertilizers and chemicals used in the fields.
On a normal day without significant events manholes, waste bins, letter boxes are unsuspected places, as the damage could be minimal the psychological effect would be equally high. Explosive devices can be carried by humans and animals, inserted in backpacks or even in the collar of our four-legged friends. Versatility makes this tool suitable for creating a sense of widespread and perceptible panic.
The most explanatory example we can make is that of the Vatican City. The enclave present in our Republic is characterized at this time by a threshold of very high alarmism, security scrupulously checks every threat, real or presumed. A suicide bomber or the placement of a makeshift device would encounter significant difficulties and the risk of failure would be high. In the event that the attack succeeds the global reactions would be immediate, the whole Catholic world would stand in defense of the symbol of Christianity par excellence. Terrorist organizations cannot afford to fight a traditional war on several fronts and therefore must always keep alive the sense of terror without ever exceeding the limit that a State can consider acceptable before taking drastic measures.
Recent history shows us that the asymmetrical struggle is anything but crazy or disorganized, indeed. This technique tries to destabilize the population of any country by inoculating a sense of stress and fear in some cases similar to that described by soldiers on missions abroad. The fight against the use of improvised explosive devices in an urban environment must remain very high but at the same time we must increase rational discussions on the subject.
(photo: web / US Army)
