Researchers unravel IS terror strategy with artificial intelligence

Increase in roadside bomb attacks and air strikes recorded.

A group of researchers have found out a way to better understand the military strategy of Islamic State extremists using artificial intelligence.

The algorithmic system analysed 2,200 recorded incidents of IS activity from the second half of 2014 in order to better understand the group’s terror strategies.

They found links between roadside bomb attacks and air strikes and connected it with the jihadists’ use of military tactics.

The researchers from Arizona State University, including Andrew Stanton, Amanda Thart, Ashish Jain, Priyank Vyas, Arpan Chatterjee, and Paulo Shakarian, will present the paper “Mining for Causal Relationships: A Data-Driven Study of the Islamic State” at a conference next week.

According to them, there is a surge in the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and increase in usage of vehicle-borne bombs in comparison to large infantry operations by the militants.

BBC cited Mining for Causal Relationships co-author Paulo Shakarian as saying: “When they experience a lot of air strikes against them they shift away from a large infantry-style operation and use IEDs.

“We believe this relationship is because they want to prevent reinforcements from the Iraqi army getting out of Baghdad.”

Shakarian who was a US army officer and served in Iraq in 2006 also highlighted that the tactics of IS, is lot different from the forces he fought against in Iraq nine years ago.

He added that the nature of the terror group is more complex and dynamic and the nature of their strategies was not always obvious.