Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
8.
Avoid heavily trafficked roads.
9.
Use roads with “safe havens.”
10.
Use well-lit roads.
Most, if not all, disciplines and fields of studies have their own unique
rules. Many of them merely state the obvious in order to make an instruc-
tional point. Take, for example, firearms training. There are many rules
that are common to the discipline of firing a weapon in anger. However,
the initial rule that is somewhat wryly stated is “The first rule in a gun-
fight is to have a gun.” The parallel of this rule as applied to driving secu-
rity is “Pick your road.” You must understand that security is a daily
concern and that part of your new “security mind-set” will be to con-
sciously select roads to drive on that place a would-be attacker at a disad-
vantage. It is no different from a general selecting the most advantageous
terrain for a battle.
In August 2002, CNN obtained a copy of a tape showing the type of
training that Al Qaeda terrorists undergo. A review of those tapes can pro-
vide many valuable security lessons. One example that is directly on point
for this discussion is the section showing how Al Qaeda terrorists assault
a moving vehicle in order to kidnap the occupant. The clip shows several
terrorist vehicles following the target. The vehicles box the victim's vehi-
cle in, and the assault is initiated. In seconds the victim has been pulled
from the vehicle and is thrown into one of the terrorists' cars. Had the
objective been merely to kill, the attack would not have even taken that
long.
The tape reveals a great deal about the terrorists' level of training as
well as the types of operations they are training for. The first thing that
is readily apparent is that the team on this tape is organized and has thor-
oughly drilled the techniques they are practicing. They execute their
assignments with military precision. They have an assault team as well as
perimeter security. The operation is well coordinated, and the teams com-
municate with hand-held radios. They also use different vehicles for dif-
ferent purposes. They use pickup trucks to secrete the assault team and
motorcycles for the perimeter security team. They handle their prisoners
quickly and efficiently. Once the assault is completed, they signal the com-
mand to withdraw by using the car horn. As they withdraw, they also det-
onate an explosive device with maximum effect after their teams have left
the area. However, perhaps the most frightening element in the video is
the fact that the assault team is giving commands in English. Even more
