Since the beginning of the year,
terrorist attacks continue to be a global occurrence. The general presumption
of many is that following the defeat of Al-Qaeda and ISIS, the world will be at
peace without 'problems' from these terrorist groups. The reality is however
different.
Why can't these terrorist attacks
be prevented?
Aren't the countermeasures taken
by the various global intelligence agencies effective in dismantling the rise
of terrorist attacks internationally?
What are the root causes of
terrorism?
Does religion alone motivate such
heinous attacks on innocent people or are such attacks instigated by
manipulative religious and political leaders for their hidden agendas?
Terrorists by nature are
unpredictable, making them dangerous to deal with. For instance, last November
in London, Usman Khan who had earlier been released from prison for
terrorist-related offences stabbed five people killing two.
At the time of this attack, he
was attending an offender rehabilitation conference. He was also a staunch
supporter of Al-Muhajiroun, a home-grown militant cell identified by UK
intelligence and security agencies, and a personal friend of its co-founder,
Anjem Choudary. Choudary is deemed one of the UK's most notorious radical
Islamist preachers.
The question is whether the UK's
de-radicalisation programme is effective. If so, the London Bridge attack
should not have occurred. Anjem Choundary himself should have been reformed and
been of assistance to security agencies in identifying and de-radicalising
other potential terrorists. This veracity has not transpired.
Even though the senior members of
Al Muhajiroun including Choundary are under strict surveillance, they still
appear to be conducting their 'activities' undetected. According to the UK
intelligence agencies, they are using internet forums for recruitment purposes
and have regular smaller group meetings in discreet places.
One of the biggest task of the
intelligence and security forces is to monitor the activities coxed by the hate
preachers and the ‘dubious’ religious NGOs. These preachers and NGOs normally
will hide all their activities in the name of the religion. Unless with
collaboration and cooperation between security agencies and government
religious authorities to tackle the threats inflict by these preachers and
NGOs, terrorism related incidents can be eradicated totally.
Terrorism is always evolving.
Terrorists are 'innovative' people who always adjust according to their needs.
The terrorist attacks now do not require huge funds or a big group to
coordinate attacks like the September 11, Bali and Mumbai attacks. Most of the
present terrorist attacks are self-funded, involving rather 'unconventional'
weapons like knives, vehicles and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
This 'unconventional' modus
operandi was seen in the Villejuif, France incident where Nathan Chiasson
stabbed three people, killing one. Last week, in Quetta, Pakistan a suicide
bomber carried out an attack using an IED at a mosque killing more than 15
people and injuring at least 20 pointing to a re-emerging trend of suicide
bombers.
Last May, the director-general of
MI5 warned of the threat posed by groups sympathetic to ISIS. He said that ISIS
propaganda is still effective in inspiring people even though the possibility
of potential terrorists to traveling to Syria has been restricted. The attempt
of Al-Muhajiroun to recruit returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) and
sympathisers to achieve its objective is distressing.
Militant groups like
Al-Muhajiroun and hate preachers like Anjem Choudary not only inspire locals
but others, encouraging them to commit acts of terrorism. For instance, one of
the Easter Sunday terrorist attackers in Sri Lanka, Abdul Lathief Jameel
Mohamed was radicalised by Choudary after attending his sermons in 2016.
Last October, Bukit Aman's
Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division (E8) chief had pointed out that 40 of
the 65 Malaysians detained in Syria had contacted PDRM wanting to return home.
According to him, the Malaysian men who are brought home will be charged in
court and the women will be assessed for their level of ideological influence.
He added that their children would also go through rehabilitation programmes.
Recently, Yazid Sufaat was released from the Simpang Renggam detention Centre
after two years. He was jailed three times in the past 18 years for
terrorism-related activities.
The question is whether the
de-radicalisation programme is functioning well and can rehabilitate the
supporters, sympathisers and terrorists.
In my opinion, these hard-core,
extremist individuals are immune to rehabilitation and reform. There are no
comprehensive rehabilitation programmes that can completely reform such
individuals. The security and intelligence agencies must accept this
hard-hitting fact.
Therefore, there is no final
solution to counter-terrorism. As the terrorists evolve and find ways to commit
acts of violence, the intelligence and security forces need to be alert and
pre-emptive in their approach.
One measure, albeit extreme, is
to create a designated place to gather hard-core supporters, sympathisers, and
terrorists where they can be monitored completely. They also need to be
isolated from society with limited access or contact allowed to family members.
Further, they need to be examined by independent experts. Unless there is
significant progress with these persons the authorities should not consider
releasing them into society. This can be seen as cruel and against the
fundamental rights of a person but the peace and security of a nation should be
paramount.
Another counter-terrorism measure
is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Terrorists are very skilful at
using the internet, especially social media to spread their propaganda for
recruitment and fundraising purposes. As such, intelligence agencies can
develop and use AI to identify, monitor and counter such activities. The
agencies can also use AI to trace members of sleeper cells who may pose future
threats.
To hinder terrorist groups and individuals,
security and intelligence agencies must practice continuous monitoring. This
will restrict their movements. Having more robust border security measures in
place supported by well-trained officers at vulnerable boundaries such as
Perlis to Kelantan and Sabah may also prevent terrorists from attacking
critical infrastructure facilities in the country. The role of frontline
officers at ports of entry are vital in identifying and preventing terrorists
from easily entering the country.
Also, all efforts need to be made
to ensure terrorists do not acquire materials which are potentially dangerous
and can be used for an attack.
In a nutshell, terrorism is not
about any religion. Often, terrorists
have been brainwashed by their recruiters in the name of religion and
ideology. Therefore, I am urging the
relevant agencies to increase their efforts to protect the people and nation as
a whole rather than focusing on a small number of persons who are misguided by
false ideologies and the misinterpretation of religious texts.
14.01.2020
This article is published - Voices360 - South Africa
https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2020/01/30/focus-on-the-majority-in-combating-threats - with the updated version
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