Describe tactics used by ISIS or al-Qaeda.

• A. Targeted killings, bombings, and coordinated assaults.
• B. Negotiations and treaties.
• C. Cyber espionage.
• D. Economic sanctions.

Answer: (A)

Tactics used by ISIS or al-Qaeda are centered on violent, asymmetric operations designed to maximize impact and spread fear. The best choice describes actions like targeted killings, bombings, and coordinated assaults, which these groups use to strike civilians and security forces, showcase capability, and generate sensational media attention to recruit and provoke political change. This approach relies on unpredictability and scale to undermine confidence in authorities and to propagate their message.

Negotiations and treaties, cyber espionage, and economic sanctions don’t fit the typical playbook of these organizations. Diplomacy and treaty-making aren’t their aim; while cyber tools may appear in some contexts, they aren’t the defining tactic, and economic sanctions are actions imposed by states, not tactics employed by terrorist groups themselves.