Last week, France was under siege
for three days by Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda in Yemen or Al-Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) terrorists. It’s regarded as the vilest paroxysm of
terrorism in France since the Algerian War and was labeled as France’s 9/11.
The impact created by these heinous attacks intensified worries about the
failure of the French security and intelligence agencies. Further the
underprivileged immigrant in suburbs and the radicalization of alienated young
people on society’s margins make France vulnerable for such future attacks. The
radicalization of a small group of people within French society who are
disintegrates them and rejects the core value of French people. President Francois
Hollande had stated that France means liberty and fraternity. This shows that there an abyss between Islam
and the values of the West.
The latest reports indicate that the
French and USA intelligence services had known these terrorists and at one
point of time did not pursued on them further. The attacks are well coordinated
and the terrorist know each other well. They are well trained and had the
capability to handle weapons. Their movements and declarations aftermath of
massacre indicate on this.
Interestingly these terrorist are
born in France and they seemed to be integrated with French society and culture
at early of their life. But what had causes them to be became the most
notorious terrorist in France. Further what had triggered the intelligence
services of France and USA dropped out completely the said terrorists from
their national radar/watch list/database even though both Kouachi brothers (Cherif
and Said) on the USA no-fly list.
France has been seen as the most
aggressive country in Europe in its surveillance of Islamists and willingness
to seize its own citizens’ passports and to prevent them from departing for
Syria and Iraq as a frontrunner tackling jihadists’ movement but over the past
two years the increased number of jihadists travelling to Syria and Iraq and
keep tracking them become an unbearable task to accomplish. This can be the
reason why the brothers are listed as the less threatening to national
security. Similarly in 2012, Mohammed Merah, a French citizen, killed seven
people including children in southwestern France. Last year, another Frenchman,
Mehdi Nemouche, killed four people in Brussels where French authorities knew
that he had returned to Europe from Syria.
Amedy Coulibaly and the Kouachi brothers
are belonging to the same jihadist network known as the Buttes-Chaumont network.
This network radicalized young people into militant Islam and sent several of
them to fight in Iraq during early 2000s. The three deceptively working
together but their loyalties are on two rival organiszations i.e. AQAP and IS.
The meeting of Coulibaly and Cherif
Kouachi with Djamel Beghal (a French –Algerian jihadist who was accused of
planning an attack on the American Embassy in Paris in 2001) is probably the preparatory
point of radicalization of them. Probably both of them are recruited while in
prison by Beghal in 2005. Beghal was
excluded from UK on the ground of national security in 2009. Further reports
had directed that he had organized an al-Qaeda cell in the Midlands, building a
network among emigres who used the Indian and Pakistani communities as cover.
He was alleged helped recruit Richard Reid, the shoe bomber and Zacarias
Moussaoui, the 20th 9/11 hijacker. The homegrown terrorists who are
come from sleeper cells like in this case are the most dangerous and insurmountable
by security and intelligence agencies.
The role of American born cleric,
Anwar al-Awlaki who is heading the external operations and recruitment of
European terrorist for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) had financed
and trained Said Kouachi during his trip to Yemen in 2011 should have caused
some apprehension to the security and intelligence agencies in France and USA.
According to intelligence reports there are more than 3,000 European citizens, including
at least 1,200 from France have flocked to Syria and Iraq to fight along IS and
estimated some 200 jihadists have returned home and they can cause serious
problem akin as a time bomb for national security. AQAP’s magazine ‘Inspire’ had listed Charlie
Hebdo and its editor in chief as their precedence targets. Even though
there are well documented reports on the brothers who had visited Yemen i.e. a
breeding ground for terrorist – highlighted by National Security Agency (NSA)
and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and subsequent decisive inaction of
relevant agencies to monitor and detain them had let the siege last week.
The biggest tasks for the
authorities are the detection of terrorists, sympathizers, handlers, funders
together with their motivations and modes and methods of acts of violence.
Further the exposing of gaps in security measures together with ethnic,
religious and political tensions have contributed to such atrocities happened
in France.
The biggest questions are how they
manage to evade surveillance and execute a bold ttack despite being well known
to the country’s intelligence and security services. The failure to identify
and stop such attacks a major lapse in intelligence. Even though USA
intelligence agencies track down young people who are traveling in and out of
Yemen but the said brothers and other French nationals had handed over to
French security services. The office Charlie Hebdo was not protected well even
though the intelligence agencies knew of the serious threat. Even though it can
pointed out that it’s a problem of resources and understaffed by security and
intelligence agencies for these lapses but enhancing security measures and
national security always must be prioritized for the said agencies.
Cherif was presented as an ordinary
immigrant youngster before tumbling into a subterranean world of fanatical
faith and calls for vengeance against USA troops in Iraq and other forces
perceived as enemies of Islam. Another foreign associate of Cherif,
Tunisian-French jihadist Boubaker Hakim, a member of the IS who has been
actively recruiting and building a network of fighters across Northern Africa
and in European immigrants communities since 2011. Hakim helped found a network
of young jihadists in Buttes-Chaumont and recruited the young local Muslims to
fight in Iraq. The brothers are representing a new powerful phenomenon i.e.
well trained; determined and connected to al-Qaeda network.
The profound factors of a terrorist
attacks, firstly the influx of immigrants from ‘hotspot’ countries on terrorism
like Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Algeria, Syria, Iraq and Nigeria; secondly,
the debarment of young persons from a particular religious or ethnic group into
mainstream society; thirdly, political and economic disengagement between
members of a society; lastly, the lax of security and intelligence instruments
and availability of information on terrorism among those agencies contribute
such attacks occurred within a state.
Whether
the Paris attacks can be regarded as testing ground for AQAP and IS to
check their strength and to gain more support from their sympathizers
and supports? If that is the case then the innocent civilians will be
victims of new wave rivalry terrorism.
A few days ago, Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Najib Tun Razak has rightfully warned Malaysians that a possible terror
attack similar to Paris terrorist attacks could happen here. In my opinion the
indicators have pointed to that direction appropriately.
Recently, a Malaysian married couple
was deported from Australia suspected to be involved with activities related to
IS. This Malaysian couple under surveillance by the Malaysia authorities and
the husband is suspected to be an active recruiter and have constant contact
with Malaysian militants in Syria. On 28 December last year, an ex-army
commando was detained along 135 IS-linked militants in Riyadh by the Saudi
authorities.
Last May, Ahmad Tarmimi Maliki
becomes the first Malaysian suicide bomber from ISIS who killed 25 elite Iraqi
soldiers in al-Anbar. Further last November, the second suicide bomber
identified as Ahmad Affendi Abdul Manafi is driven a truck full with bomb into
a military installation in Homs, Syria killing about 50 of Syrian army
soldiers.
Apart from that, the recruiters
successfully ingrained the sympathizers to become potential IS terrorists. For
instances, the arrest of a senior assistant director of a ministry, a trainer
of National Services, two civil servants and two members of the security
forces. They are also recruited a young person at the age of 14 years old and
women including house wives and female undergraduates. This is an unprecedented
development for our security and intelligence forces. They have to be more
vigilant to identify and fight against the suspected sympathizers and terrorist
of IS who are operating internally. For
security and intelligence forces this is not an easy task.
The recent pledges of commitment to
IS by the regional terror groups like Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT)
and Darul Islam Sabah is alarming. Further the arrest of Yazid Suffat again under
the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 indicates that once become a
terrorist it is impossible to return to the right path to reform. The escape of
former lecturer, Dr Mahmud Ahmdsundry, shop owner Mohd Najb Husen and former
Selayang Municipal Council employee Muhammad Joraimee Awang Raimee are arraigning
the threat is real.
One of the biggest challenges of our
intelligence and security forces is to neutralize the homegrown terrorist and sympathizers.
The recruiters and propagandists of IS are known for using social media for the
recruitment purpose effectively. Therefore relevant agencies must come up with
alternative psychological ‘info-fare’ by using social media to counter these propagandas
from IS. During emergency, Malaysia used various effective counter propaganda
tools to communicate with people to help defuse the threat of communists.
Therefore our intelligence and security can use such methods/tools to counter
terrorism.
Apart from the upgraded legislation,
monitoring intelligence devices and terrorist database with cooperation and
coordination with various intelligence and security agencies worldwide will
help to minimize risk of a terrorist attack in Malaysia.
In conclusion, with various modes and methods of intelligence; a comprehensive terrorism law and collaboration between government and non-government agencies to eliminate this threat, the role of the public is so decisive to maintain peace and security of this nation. The people must play a pro-active role by assisting and supporting the relevant agencies to safeguard the national security.
Kuala Lumpur.
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