Death squads are special armed forces that are involved in the killings of people without legal notice. These squads are also responsible for the forced disappearance of individuals. These death squads often operate with the objective of political repression, genocide, or revolutionary terror. The individuals who are involved in killing people or forcefully kidnapping them often hide their true identities. It is essential for the killers to camouflage or hide their true identity in order to avoid accountability. It is not uncommon or unheard of for these informal groups to be associated with military dictators or police forces. However, even in cases of emergency democratic governments make use of death squads to restore the law and order situation. There are times when the government has to take harsh steps to restore law and order; consequently, these squads may be justified depending upon the situation at hand (Ritterman, 2014).
Terrorism is a situation where the people of a state or region are afraid of the unknown. Terrorists are an organized group which aims to disrupt the well-being and stability in society (Terrorism Research). People are often terrorized by terrorism, and that is the main objective of these groups. In countries such as; Spain, India, Argentina, Guatemala, Northern Ireland, Indonesia, and the Philippines there are organized death squads. The death squads in these countries vary depending upon their job nature. For instance; the role of Loyalist death squads in Northern Ireland is different from death squads operating in India (Sluka, 2011).
In Colombia, death squads work towards the elimination of the narcotic bourgeoisie. The people involved in narcotics, and cocaine are only working towards maintaining that monopoly (Villar & Cottle). Since, Colombia has emerged into a narcotic-state over the years; thus, people are not working towards the elimination of this crime; rather, they are working towards maintaining their own monopoly. Therefore, death squads in Colombia challenge the monopoly along with the existence of the Colombian state. This suggests that death squads operate for different purposes throughout the world depending upon the nature of the crime being committed in that specific region.
Terrorism and death squads have been associated together for a very long time. There are instances when the intelligence agencies have to take extreme measures because terrorist groups are active and cannot be clearly identified. Thus, after intensive research and scrutiny people who are seen as potential terrorists are often picked up by death squad individuals for the interrogation purpose. If these death squads are seen as an official part of law enforcement agencies then, people will become critical. Therefore, it is essential for the well-being of society to keep these squads undercover. People who work for death squads in fighting terrorism have to keep their identities undisclosed because it would be risky for them to disclose whom they work for. At times, death squads may arrest or kill the wrong person if the information available to them is not accurate. However, it is very rare for these groups to have inaccurate information, but there are always exceptions.
Terrorism may be eliminated or minimized as a result of death squads taking severe actions. In countries such as India, these death squads are very active in killing people, and there has been a reported reduction in terrorist activities in some parts of India. Even though, death squads may not be justified on ethical grounds, but it is done for the sake of the well-being of the people; therefore, they serve an important purpose (Chossudovsky).
References
Chossudovsky, M. (n.d.). Terrorism with a “Human Faceâ€: The History of America’s Death Squads. Global Research. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from http://www.globalresearch.ca/terrorism-with-a-human-face-the-history-of-americas-death-squads/5317564?print=1
Ritterman, J. (2014, August 21). Salvadoran Death Squads. THE HUFFINGTON POST. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/salvadoran-death-squads/
Sluka, J. A. (2011). Death Squad The Anthropology of State Terror. -: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Villar, O., & Cottle, D. (n.d.). Cocaine, Death Squads, and the War on Terror by Oliver Villar and Drew Cottle, published by Monthly Review Press.. Monthly Review. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from http://monthlyreview.org/books/pb2518/
terrorism RESEARCH. (n.d.). Terrorism Research. Retrieved October 26, 2014, from http://www.terrorism-research.com/
