The ongoing global terrorist threat

Since the worst international terrorist attack on 11 September 2001 in New York, few of us were familiar with the term ‘terrorism’. For most of us, a major attack was just like any other attack as they were all carried out with some motive, whether it be personal or political. However, since that fateful day in New York when more than 3 000 people lost their lives, the word ‘terrorism’, as a definable term and as an unjust and deadly act, has become part of our daily lives as it continues to claim the lives of many people.

From the time of the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2002 and Iraq in 2003, terrorist attacks appears to have gotten worse every year. Or is it? What do the statistics say?

According to the Global Terrorism Index of the Institute for Economics and Peace, there were 73 000 terrorist attacks since 2000, which killed more than a 170 000 people.

Last year (2015) alone, 29 376 people died in terrorist attacks. Seventy two percent of these attacks took place in Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria. The terrorist groups responsible for most of these attacks (74% of the 2015 total) were ISIL, Boko Haram, Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

However, this was 10% lower than the previous year, with the decrease being attributed to successful military interventions against the terrorist groups, ISIL and Boko Haram in Iraq and Nigeria.

The attacks have certainly increased since 2001, although statistics differ due mostly to the definition of the term ‘terrorist attack’, which ultimately affect the classification of an attack as either a terrorist or an ordinary criminal attack. As a result, data from different sources differ.

There is also no clear universal definition of terrorism.  

We may never know exactly how many attacks happen every year, as some of them are also underreported in countries that lack freedom of the press or aretoo dangerous for reporters, such as for example Syria and Somalia.

This under-reporting could also skew matters and create a perception that attacks are increasing in the west, and on the decline in the rest of the world.  The media’s portrayal and presentation of terrorism has also influenced our definition of the term as most of us immediately think of a Muslim or a refugee or immigrant when we are presented with the news of a recent attack. We have also unconsciously been made to associate terrorist attacks with the terrorist groups mentioned above, because attacksby right-wing groups are simply called ‘attacks’ by the media. 

The 24 hour news cycle and social media have undoubtedly played a huge role in our awareness of terrorism around the world as we are constantly reminded of the atrocities taking place around the world every half hour. Terrorist groups have also jumped on the social media bandwagon, such as Al Qaeda and especially ISIL which uses social media to promote their ideology and uploading videos depicting the torture, rape, beheading, killing of victims and most recently the burning alive of two Turkish soldiers.

How do we fight terrorism?

A decline was beginning to be recorded as from 2007 (when the US increased its military presence), but since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, the number of attacks have shot up, with Europe feeling the brunt as ISIL continues to recruit, radicalize and train young European Muslims to carry out attacks on European soil.

This week, the world witnessed a terrorist attack in Berlin, Germany that killed 12 people and injured 48 others. In Turkey, a hotspot for terrorist attacks, an off-duty police officer shot and killed the Russian ambassador in that country for Russia’s involvement in the Syrian civil war.  He was seemingly sympathetic to the plight of the Syrian refugees as he shouted ‘Aleppo, revenge’. Later in the week, ISIL uploaded an execution video in which they burned alive two Turkish soldiers in Aleppo, Syria.

Despite the good intelligence, smart law enforcement, increased online monitoring and increased investment in security infrastructure, it is becoming a challenge to fight terrorism, especially with the increased radicalization of individuals.

It has also been reported that illegal firearms entering Europe are becoming a growing concern for the authorities as they could be used for terrorist activities.

With two lorry attacks this year, the one in Berlin and the other in Nice, France that took place on Bastille Day, killing 86 people and injured 434 others, security services are talking about setting up barriers, such as bollards to prevent lorry style terrorist attacks.

Some suggestions in the fight against terrorism include engagingdefectors of terrorist groups who could share some insights into the groups’operations and engage former jihadists who are currently fighting the recruitmentand radicalization of European and American Muslims on social media networks. There are also calls for social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter to do more to stop the spread of terrorism propaganda by these groups.

One important key in the fight against terrorism is the investment in grassroot policing to provide for more patrolling and surveillance in local communities. The presence of law enforcement will also automatically establish a sense of safety and trust which will empowering local residents to report any suspicious activities in their neighbourhood.