As I heard about another suicide bombing in Peshawar on Wednesday which claimed 36 souls, I felt the need to know if anything could be done to increase one’s chances of surviving a suicide attack.
As I discovered, it is possible to sway the odds in one’s favor only if life has to still go on. But before I start talking about what steps can be taken, it may help visualizing what actually occurs in a suicide bombing.
A bombing starts off smelling similar to a barbecue. There’s a charcoal-like whiff of gunpowder mixed with blood and burned flesh. It’s thick and bitter, and it overpowers everything. You can taste it in your mouth.
Statements of some of the survivors of suicide attacks give those without such first-hand experience a better idea of what actually takes place in this type of incidents.
The New York City-based think-tank Manhattan Institute for Policy Research has studied this question in-depth. It says, “Suicide bombers are among the most difficult attackers against which to defend. But knowing how to prepare and react . . . can make the difference between death and survival.”
R. P. Eddy, the Senior Fellow for Counter-terrorism at the Manhattan Institute, did a fantastic job putting together “Be Prepared for Terrorism: How to Survive a Suicide Bombing” on the Institute’s site. In this “how-to” guide, Eddy starts off the conversation with the following:
• What is a suicide bomber?
• How would a suicide bomber attack?
• What are the top targets?
• What is the impact of a suicide bomber?
Next, the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Policing Terrorism (CPT) dispenses advice as if the terrorists just struck. Under “WHERE ARE YOU?” Eddy says:
To survive a suicide bomber and the disruptions that will follow, you must adapt your strategy to your location.
As such, he talks about what an individual should do following a suicide bombing if that person is:
• At home
• At the office
• In the air
• In a bus or train
• Walking, outside, at a public venue
Eddy, who was selected by the Center for American Progress and Foreign Policy Magazine as one of “100 of America’s most esteemed terrorism and national security experts,” continues with the idea of “DETERRENCE” and covers the following topics:
• Four easy steps to increase your chances of survival
• Identify a suicide bomber
• Disarm a suicide bomber
Finally, Eddy wraps up the discussion with “SURVIVE,” or as he explains:
After a suicide bomber has struck, what do you do to ensure your safety?
For those who would rather play it safe- than be dead wrong- when it comes to a potential terrorist incident, the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research provides exceptional guidance for surviving a suicide bombing. Try it and pray that you would never have the chance to use them.
The writer is a thinker, planner and blogger with a focus on trends of social change, youth and digital generation or what is called Google generation.
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