An Introduction
Since 2017, the Ansar al-Sunna insurgent group which is associated with
ISIS evacuated more than 430.000 people from Cabo Delgado province in northern
Mozambique. Last month, these terrorists beheaded more than 50 people in the
same province. Some local youth are attracted to this group’s false ideology
because of poverty and unemployment issues.
Last August, two female suicide bombers killed more than 14 people and
at least 70 people were injured in Jolo, Southern Philippines. These attackers,
who are widows of slain terrorists, used the improvised explosive devices to
kill innocent people and a number of security forces. Further, they were
affiliated with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) which is known as Islamic State –
East Asia Province. This has suggested that the terrorist attacks are to be led
by females and young people.
According to the recent American Enterprise Institute (AEI) report on
youth and terrorism, terrorist groups like ISIS and al Shabaab designated the
roles of young women to that of wives and mothers. Where else, Boko Haram use
the young women and girls as suicide bombers. Nowadays, these female terrorists
are playing a prominent role within these groups and in most cases, they are
undetected by the security and intelligence agencies.
The Security Landscape since 9/11
Since nineteen years ago, the landscape of international security has
changed ever drastically. Terrorism and terrorist activities it not restricts
itself with one territory or region. Terrorism is becoming a global issue. It
has expanded from north to south and from west to east. After Al Qaeda was
defeated, then the world has seen more atrocities committed by ISIS. A couple
of years ago, this group also had been defeated.
In the Indian subcontinent and Afghanistan, there are new terrorist
groups which are affiliated, either with Al Qaeda or ISIS like Al-Qaeda in the
Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), Jamaatul Ahrar, Hizbul Ahrar and
Jamaatul Ahrar and Hizbul Ahrar.
In 2018, under the US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the
Secretary of State has included the ISIS-Philippines. ISIS-West Africa,
ISIS-Greater Sahara, al-Ashtar Brigades (AAB), Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam
wal-Muslimin (JNIM), Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Asa’ib Ahl
al-Haq (AAH) as the foreign terrorist organizations,
The re-emerging of Al Qaeda and ISIS with their affiliated groups is a
matter of concern. The security and intelligence agencies may have succeeded by
eliminating the leaders of these groups but still failed to eliminate the core
ideology. This ideology has been subscribed by the sympathisers and
supporters of these groups and most of them acting independently as a lone wolf
to achieve their ‘noble’ goal by killing innocent people.
In July, the UK Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace had said that ISIS's
ideology is poisonous and there is a possibility for this group to be
resurfaced again. Further, he said this ideology was still intact, and ISIS
remains as the prevalent security threat to the UK.
The new paradigm of a terrorist attack no longer requires a well-coordinated
with the huge financial assistance, but rather executed by the lone wolves with
less monetary contribution.
The terrorist groups are re-emerging because the ideology is tenacious.
Therefore, lone wolf terrorist attacks become conspicuous. For the intelligence
and security agencies, this type of attacks becomes very challenging to be
detected and prevented.
The Present Danger
Last October in Paris, Samuel Paty was
brutally beheaded by a terrorist from Chechnya, Abdullakh Anzorov who was 18
years old. Anzorov used a cleaver to kill Paty. He had lived in France since
2008. Seven people were charged in the court including two students and a parent of one of Mr Paty's students.
Meanwhile, in
Nice, Brahim Aouissaoui a migrant who arrived in September from Tunisia
murdered three people in the Notre-Dame basilica. One of the victims was
partially decapitated. He was 21 years old and used a knife to carry out the
attack.
Vienna is one of
a safest city in the world. The city’s reputation is dented in the early
November when a 20-year-old suspected terrorist, Kujtim Fejzullai killed four
people and hurt more than twenty people. Prior to this attack, he was
imprisoned for trying to travel to Syria to join with ISIS and was released
earlier due to his youth.
These incidents
in Paris, Nice and Vienna exposed that the false ideology of the terrorist
group is deeply ingrained with youth. The poverty, unemployment, racial and
religious discrimination issues are to be used by the handlers of terrorist
groups to recruit young people and women. Later, they will be brainwashed to
commit the atrocities against the innocent people in the name of the religion.
Further, these perpetrators
are influenced by false propagandas and they believed what they have done is to
protect or to take revenge behalf of their ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’.
Unfortunately, they are misguided by their own deceitful preachers in the name
of the religion.
Conclusion
The face of terrorism is always evolving. The method and mode of a
terrorist attack is becoming unpredictable. The terrorists always find a little
opportunity to launch their fatal attacks like in Nice, Paris, Vienna and Cabo
Delgado. They are using females and young people to conduct their attacks to
evade detection by the intelligence agencies.
Therefore, the intelligence and security forces should not have
undermined the ability of these terrorist groups. The tactics of these groups
are shifting to use of non-conventional weapons like household knives and
vehicles. In addition, they are also using fake suicide vests to deceive the
security forces and the public to ‘protect’ themselves.
In meantime, preventing any attacks conducted by a terrorist is very
perplexing for these agencies. Therefore, the family members or friends of
suspected terrorist/supporter/sympathiser must play a proactive role by
alerting the relevant agencies.
Furthermore, intelligence and security services must also partner with religious authorities to build an effective narrative against the false ideology of terrorist groups. In addition, to counter the propaganda materials used by these terrorist groups, they can also use artificial intelligence (AI) by detecting and eliminating such materials to be circulated publicly.
In a nutshell, the
political and religious leaders need to refrain themselves by making
inflammatory and insensitive remarks which will upset a particular group of
people. Thus, the approach taken by Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New
Zealand in the wake of Christchurch attack is highly commendable compare to the
approach taken by French President, Emmanuel Macron. Further, the religious and
community leaders must put a strong condemnation by alienating the perpetrators
rather than supporting them. These leaders also must show great empathy on the
victims and victims family.
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