"Suicide terror, like other types of terror, is not a new phenomenon in human history. It existed among Moslem Hashishiyun in the eleventh century and various groups in Asia during the eighteenth century. In the twentieth century, suicide attacks occur in many regions of the world, including Hizballah in Lebanon, the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) in Sri-Lanka, the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey, the Jama’a El Islamia (IG) in Egypt, the Chechens in Russia, the Jaish Mohammad in India, and suicide attacks by organizations in Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein
In an interview with a would-be suicide terrorist, he described his preparation: ‘‘In the spring of 1993, I began to pester our military leaders to let me carry out an operation. It was around the time of the Oslo accords, and it was quiet, too quiet. I wanted to carry out an operation that would incite others to do the same.’’ He continued, ‘‘We were in a constant state of worship. We told each other that if the Israelis only knew how joyful we were, they would whip us to death! Those were the happiest days of my life. The power of the spirit pulls us upward, while the power of material things pulls us downward,’’ he said. ‘‘Someone bent on martyrdom becomes immune to the material pull. Our planner asked, ‘What if the operation fails’’’? We answered, ‘‘In any case, we get to meet the Prophet and his companions, inshallah. We were floating, swimming in the feeling that we were about to enter eternity. We had no doubts. We took an oath on the Koran, in the presence of Allah—a pledge not to waver.’
Source:
KIMHI, SHAUL "Who Are the Palestinian Suicide Bombers?" Terrorism and Political Violence, Vol.16, No.4 (Winter 2004), pp.815–840
