Few things grab a reader's attention more than a headline that reads "Woman suicide bomber blown to pieces". Whether it has something to do with our morbid fascination for all things violent or the sheer intrigue that draws us to question what motivates an individual to carry out such an act, suicide terrorism has always provoked our interest.

Unlike suicide terrorism in Iraq or other parts of the world, it is not always easy to differentiate between an act of terrorism and suicide terrorism or fidayeens in Kashmir. Terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir has often fallen into a grey area, not clearly defined as one or the other. While security forces are careful as to which acts of terrorism are labelled as fidayeen, groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed have been more loose in their categorization, defining several encounters as suicide attacks. Conflicting interests were evident in a recent strike on a BSF camp in Sopore, which militant outfits classified as fidayeen, while security forces thought otherwise.

The discrepancy over what is and what is not suicide terrorism is an important aspect to understanding their significance. There is no doubting the fact that an individual involved in suicide terrorism is highly motivated towards the cause, be it nationalistic or religious. From a security perspective, countering suicide terrorism has always been a challenge, with successful acts not only weakening a sense of well being for the public, but denting the morale of those fighting it. In that sense, an act successfully thwarted by security personnel is highly publicized by those countering it, while an act successfully carried out is the pride of the militant groups involved.

It is ironic that the highest number of people involved in carrying out suicide attacks, belong to a religion that condemns suicide, labelling it as un-Islamic. Yet, those who speak on behalf of suicide terrorists promise a world of rewards and eternal bliss for the perpetrators of these crimes. A man who lays down his life is a martyr and a defender of his beliefs and religion - a notion often cited by terrorist leaders to rally their cadre. It is perhaps this glorified promise of rewards and fulfilment that draws individuals towards suicide terrorism, leading them to believe that suicide terrorism is an act far greater than any other act of terrorism. Acts successfully carried out are also a propaganda and morale boost for terrorists, giving them a feeling of invincibility and parity vis-à-vis the security forces.

Suicide terrorism in Iraq and Kashmir are of a varying nature. In the former, terrorist acts are often crude and highly destructive, while in the latter, fidayeen strikes appear well planned with specific targets in mind. Having said that, it is interesting to note that a reason for the discrepancy in what denotes suicide terrorism could quite easily boil down to the failure to follow through with a plan successfully. A large number of attacks that militant groups in Kashmir label as fidayeen are often attempts at attacking security installations, which for one reason or the other do not succeed. Terming these encounters as fidayeen by militant groups, and notably not the security forces, could be an attempt to prop up the morale of the terrorists and to remind the people of Kashmir that the militant and Pakistani attempts at liberating Kashmir are alive.

As an outside observer, the media's impact on events surrounding suicide terrorism is significant. With suicide terrorism stepping outside the norm that we consider civilized, the act itself gains publicity no matter how small or large the strike. For the militant group that perpetrates the attack, the publicity that results is essential to be recognized as a legitimate group, to gain popular support, to replenish funds and in recruiting more fighters. The media is not only a freely available medium to communicate to the world, but with no news like bad news, few things read better than suicide terrorism.

Perhaps the most significant aspect to suicide terrorism is not the number of lives lost or the damage caused to property, but the psychological impact such an act has on the population, security forces and the militants. At a time when nations spend millions of dollars acquiring weapons, no amount of money seems to be enough to equip a soldier in combating this menace. At the end of the day, the most effective weapon we posses is ourselves - a weapon not only capable of causing death and destruction, but of waging a war within our minds, leading some to believe that there is glory to be had with suicide terrorism. Whether real or not, is debatable.