Most of 2013 terrorist attacks took place in only a few countries
Despite the devastating attack at the Boston Marathon on 15 April 2013, which killed three and wounded more than 200, U.S. citizens remained comparatively safe from terrorism. Worldwide, seventeen U.S. civilians were killed by terrorist attacks in 2013 (including contractors), which is .07 percent of all terrorism fatalities in 2013.
According to LaFree, “these results confirm long-term regional trends that show rising numbers of attacks in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia and diminishing numbers of attacks in North America and Western Europe.”
Perpetrator groups
Information about the perpetrator group responsible was reported for 33 percent of terrorist attacks in 2013.
Although al-Qaeda central has only been responsible for two known attacks since 2008 (both in 2011), seven of the ten deadliest terrorist groups in the world are affiliated to some extent with the organization. These include the Taliban, Islamic State of Iraq, and the Levant/al-Qaeda in Iraq, Boko Haram, al-Shabaab, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, al-Nusrah Front, and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
10 most lethal terrorist organizations in 2013 by number of fatalities
- Taliban* — 2,718
- Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant/Al-Qaida in Iraq* — 1,868
- Boko Haram* — 1,731
- Al-Shabaab* — 735
- Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)* — 710
- Al-Nusrah Front* — 707
- Lashkar-e-Jhangvi — 404
- Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)* — 368
- David Yau Yau Militia — 194
- New People’s Army (NPA) — 156
* Al-Qaeda-affiliated
GTD improvements
START notes that with the addition of the 2013 data, the GTD team also updated the database to include:
- Completed geocoding for historical attacks in ten countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, dating back to 1970.
- Improved classification of multiple attacks that are coordinated in a single event. This includes identifying pre-1998 attacks as part of coordinated events and linking related attacks by Event ID number throughout the entire dataset.
- Identification of cases that lack clarity about whether the GTD inclusion criteria are satisfied (“doubt terrorism proper” and “alternative designation” variables) for pre-1998 attacks.
- Updated information for thousands of historical cases to improve consistency and accuracy, including reviewing the inclusion criteria for all historical events, and adding more detailed information on casualty data for the 9/11 attacks.
More information about the new variables can be found in the GTD Codebook.
Interpreting the data
GTD data files and documentation are available for download from the START Web site for users who would like to conduct custom analysis of the data.
Beginning with 2012 data collection, START made several important changes to the Global Terrorism Database collection methodology, improving the efficiency and comprehensiveness of the process and access to source materials. In general, comparisons of aggregate statistics over time and between locations — and their implications for the state of international security and global counterterrorism efforts — should be interpreted with caution due to considerable variation in the availability of source materials.
The GTD is compiled and maintained by START through research grants awarded to the University of Maryland by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s Office of University Programs, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s Resilient Systems Division.
