France is under siege again. Yesterday was a public holiday in France. The French people are celebrating Bastille Day throughout France but in Nice a truck drove off into crowd and killed more than 84 people. Many people have been wounded as well. The French authorities believed it’s a terrorist attack. Even though the French police have killed the perpetrator but it’s unknown until now the involvement of other people in this attack.
President Francois Hollande declared that the state of emergency has been extended for another three months. The US president labelled this attack as “a horrific terrorist attack”. This attack could have been executed by IS or al-Qaeda. It was also probably done by a person who is influenced by these groups or any other persons or groups. Until now there no one has claimed responsibility for this atrocity in Nice.
If this attack directed by IS or al-Qaeda then they have taken their approaches into another level. Like in Sept 11, al-Qaeda had used passengers’ flights as their weapons to attack the US, and in France now either IS or or-Qaeda used a truck to kill innocent people in an unpredicted way. This is the first time a terrorist group has used a truck to launch a terrorist attack.
As I believe always, IS is very much different from al-Qaeda in handling unconventional methods and modes to execute their attack. This because IS is always evolving, unlike other known terrorist groups. The choice of their targets is always impulsive. In Belgium and Turkey, their target was an airport. Whereas in Dhaka and Puchong their targets were a café and a bar.
The number of terrorists involved in those attacks is few but the impact of these are unconceivable. In Baghdad they used bombs to inflict maximum damage by killing more than 200 people during the holy month of Ramadan. The four suicide bombings had taken place in Saudi Arabia in the same month, but no one has taken any responsibility until now. This has illustrated that the conventional targets are no longer is their choice of attack.
By using less people and most common materials or tools in their attacks, with a selection of uncommon places as their targets, IS is now the most perilous terrorist group. For security and intelligence agencies this is the very perplexing situation to handle. The pattern used by IS has always evolved and this makes the detection and prevention impossible to handle by these agencies.
In a nutshell, IS will eliminate anyone who is against with their version of interpretation of their philosophy whether the victims are their own brothers or enemies. To uphold and to establish their form of caliphate, they will to do anything in whatever ways that they can find to achieve their goals. Therefore the attacks in Istanbul, Dhaka, Baghdad, Jakarta and Puchong have illustrated their determination to achieve their heinous intentions.
The ongoing offensive attacks on their caliphate in Iraq and Syria by a coalition army led by the USA has angered and infuriated IS. The subsequent statement made by leaders of IS urging their supporters and sympathisers to attack the enemies have escalated the attack inspired by IS across the world from Europe and America to Asia. This is unparalleled.
Need to think outside the box
Therefore the intelligence and security agencies are unable to prevent or detect any planned attack by IS until it has occurred. This has shown that the agencies need to think out of the box to tackle this serious problem.
For Malaysia, IS is imposed a serious threat for national security. The first terrorist attack in Puchong has indicated that such attack in future are highly potential. The threats imposed by two Malaysian IS terrorists to harm our country makes the level of security high.
The recent threat to harm the top cop on counter-terrorism, the inspector-general of police (IGP) and other prominent political leaders in Malaysia shows the boldness and willingness of IS to extinguish the peace and harmony of this nation. Therefore proper protection not only must be given to the targeted security, intelligence and political people, but the authorities also need to increase the protection on their families as well by multiplying their surveillance operations.
Further, the publication of IS’s Malay language newspaper, Al-Fatihin, to cater for its supporters in South-East Asia especially for Malaysia and Indonesia, designates that the focus is now on this region. Lately, terrorists from Malaysia getting conspicuous recognition within the propaganda apparatus of IS making this country became a primary target and also for recruitment purposes.
Therefore it is appropriate for the US to set up an anti-IS data centre in Malaysia to monitor not only the posting of IS on the social media but also to encrypt the online messages of IS. This because IS uses social media and the dark web to spread and recruit the potential terrorist effectively.
Apart from this effort, the Malaysian authorities need to engage with the public to reeducate and inform them how deviant of IS justification on religion especially on the interpretation of Jihad. The collaboration of religious authorities’ together security forces with NGOs have to bring this vital information not only in rural areas but also in urban areas, focusing on troubled youth who lack of depth knowledge of religion.
This because Malaysia not only a place for recruitment but has gradually become a major target for IS’s offensive attacks.
Recently in Penang, four people were killed by their own family member and he was shot dead by police yesterday due to information given by the public. Therefore I strongly believe that to tackle IS threats in Malaysia the intelligence and security agencies need to work together with the public.
The Malaysians are owed a duty of care to this nation and they are the stakeholders of this nation. Therefore they need to assume the responsibility for the nation security and to protect the sovereign from IS terrorists whose intention to destroy this nation at any cause.
By sharing the available information and engaging them will make the operational works much easier for these agencies. They will be the informers to apprise the ground situation as the agencies cannot protect every single area of this nation.
In conclusion, IS’s threat is the national security problem and cooperation among stakeholders of this nation is vital to protect the with all means.
Read more: https://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/348674#ixzz4ET6iGzgT
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/france-under-siege-again-r.-paneir-selvam
http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/france-is-under-siege-again/
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