Suicide bomb

Suicide bomb is a colloquialism for a type of terrorist attack that causes widespread death and destruction, in which the bomber dies or expects to die. While this type of attack has been used sporadically in human history, it saw widespread use in the middle 20th century and early 21st century. The scale of the attack can vary from an individual carrying a bomb upon his or her person, to something much larger, such as the September 11, 2001 attacks which saw terrorists use passenger planes to crash into targets in the United States.

Suicide bomb in The Man With the Iron Heart

The German Freedom Front adopted various tactics, including suicide bombing, against the Allies occupying Germany.

Suicide bomb in "Occupation Duty"

Murder Bombers were a constant risk to Philistinian soldiers in occupied Moab. The killer would approach a group of Philistines and then set off explosives hidden under his or her clothing.

On a tour of duty, Pheidas witnessed such an attack. He and his squad were traveling to Hierosolyma in a convoy of APCs, when he heard an explosion and his vehicle started rocking. A murder bomber had rammed a nearby command car with a civilian vehicle before setting off his explosives.

Suicide bomb in Southern Victory

The "people bomb" was a terrorist tactic introduced by the Mormons during their rebellion against the United States during the Second Great War. It was quickly copied by other resistance movements the world over. An individual would strap explosives to one's body, go to populated areas, and detonate the explosives, killing oneself and killing or injuring as many people in the area as possible. The success of this the tactic inspired other resistance movements to adopt it, including Slavs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, various groups in the Russian Empire, and black guerrillas fighting against the Freedom Party in the Confederate States.

Suicide bombs in Worldwar

Following the Peace of Cairo, the Conquest Fleet began garrisoning various regions, including the Middle East. Tosevites, particularly Muslims, resorted to suicide attacks against the Race. These attacks terrified the Race because they lacked any sort of leverage over a enemy willing to die.

One notable attack was against a newly constructed town for Colonists. A bomber loaded a truck full of explosives and detonated it inside the town. The event caused a row between Fleetlords Atvar and Reffet, the latter resenting the idea that his colonists may have needed to protect themselves.

During the original fighting, Tosevites had used similar tactics against the Race, usually due to the death of a mate or hatchling. This reaction was incomprehensible to the Race, and led them to change tactics to avoid worsening their situation.