Current Regime Nationalists Terrorist Groups

If terrorism has many faces, so does counter terrorism. This seemingly simple statement provides a deep insight into the complex socio political nature of terrorist violence and suggests the range of means employed by the state to gain or retain loyalty of the population. Ideology remains the key vector of terrorism, yet the state can effectively employ the same ideals as a counter terrorism tool to use extreme human emotions such as fear, retribution and vengeance to convert terrorists into violent nationalists. These tactics can be as bloody and vengeful as the militants’ activities and are used primarily to sustain state power. Variously known as current regime or pro nationalists, pseudo or counter gangs, direct action groups or, “false flag[i],” operatives, these groups have played a seminal role in many counter guerrilla campaigns of the past and continue to do so today in the largest theatres – Af-Pak [Afghanistan-Pakistan]. Thus current regime nationalist groups are not…