Why Do People Join Terror Groups?

If you're a regular viewer of our content, then the Islamic State, Boko Haram, and Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam al-Muslim, fortunately shortened to Janim, are names that you will be intimately familiar with. These are some of the biggest terror groups in the world right now. Collectively, they are responsible for many thousands of deaths every year.

In February, Boko Haram killed more than 200 people during one attack on a village in Nigeria, while Jenin killed more than 50 people in Burkina Faso. More recently, Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a deadly series of strikes against several major airports in Saudi Arabia, killing at least 18 people in total.

These attacks are usually designed to cause as much damage as possible, to accomplish three things: one, grab global headlines and generate as much publicity as possible for the groups; two, instill fear in the civilian population; and three, signal strength to friend and foe alike.