A rather odd title for an intelbrief from The Soufan Group, which links a number of outrages or attacks where mass casualties result, clearly prompted by last week's attack @ Garissa, Kenya and here is one clear phrase:
The reality is far more troubling, as groups that have little-to-no-connection are linked by a unifying motivation to kill civilians.
The last sentence makes sense:
These groups began as localized insurgencies but have morphed into a homogenized terrorist movement that cares less about local impact than global influence.
Link:http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrie...ion-of-terror/

Unconventional warfare, whether the users are called guerillas or terrorists, often prefers "soft" targets and inhibit the security forces by such tactics as IEDs. Is it 'new' this preference for killing civilians? No. So what is the difference today? Simple we know about it and see the imageery.