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Global Terrorism — Myth and Reality | Raza Rumi

A new report by the Institute for Economics and Peace, an international think tank based in
Australia, brings to light some hard data on global terrorism. During November 2015, a series of
terror attacks in Beirut, Paris, Nigeria and Mali reignited the debate on the global ‘challenge’ of
terrorism. In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, another coalition is being gathered to bomb
Syria to eradicate the Daesh or Islamic State (IS). It is unclear if a militaristic response would
yield results in Syria, given the complexity and competing interests of Middle Eastern actors,
Russia and the West. In fact, the lack of a multilateral approach has only served to benefit the
IS in the recent past.

The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report confirms that terrorism, globally, is on the rise. Since
2001, there has been a five-fold rise in terrorism. The year 2014 was deadliest with 14,000
terrorist attacks in 93 countries, leaving 32,000 dead. The number of terror victims was 80 per
cent more than in 2013. At the same time, countries that battled 500 or more terrorist attacks
have seen a staggering increase by 120 per cent since 2013.

The other startling fact, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace, is that Boko Haram,
the Nigerian militant group, was the biggest killer in 2014, and not the IS. During the last year,
6,644 deaths attributed to Boko Haram signified an increase of over 300 per cent compared to
the deaths occurring in 2013. The IS was the second-most lethal group as it killed 6,073 people.
Tactics used by Boko Haram are deadlier as it indiscriminately targets private citizens in its
attacks.

The GTI also reiterates the sad fact that Iraq remains the worst-hit among countries. Its
insecurity is a stark reminder of an ill-conceived military campaign without clear objectives. More
than 30 per cent of global terrorism victims in 2014 were Iraqis, and more than 9,900 Iraqis died
in 3,370 terrorist attacks across the country. Unsurprisingly, the IS was responsible for 95 per
cent of terrorist attacks within Iraq.

The countries affected by terrorism are mostly located in conflict zones, and not in the advanced
world where terrorism is used as a scare tactic to shape policy and drum the war machine. In
the last 15 years, only 4.4 per cent of attacks and 2.6 per cent of deaths took place in Western
countries. Four major terrorists attacks (the 9/11 attacks in the US, the Madrid train bombings,
the Norwegian massacre and the London bombings) account for 90 per cent of those deaths. Of

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course, GTI did not cover the Paris attacks.

The five worst-affected countries in 2014 were Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria.
Pakistan was the fourth worst-hit country by terrorism. However, it dropped from the third to the
fourth place, with violence declining across the country. In 2014, 1,760 people were killed in
1,821 terrorist attacks across the country and there are still dozens of terrorist groups active
inside Pakistan.

The GTI also highlights the state of cities that have suffered the most in the recent past. Karachi
and Peshawar were among the world’s 10 cities with highest fatality rates relating to terror
attacks. Peshawar was ranked fourth and Karachi was at ninth place. The 2015 report will
reflect the recent improvements in security achieved through the army operations in Karachi.
That the residents of these cities continue with their lives is a testament to their extraordinary
resilience.

While sections of the media and the political elite in India have drummed up the fear and threat
of religious extremism, GTI tells a different story. Religious extremists were responsible for only
14 per cent of the total deaths in India that occurred due to terrorism. Maoist groups were
responsible for 41 per cent of such deaths, while separatist groups in the northeast were
responsible for 25 per cent of deaths. The ‘terrorism’ issue in India, therefore, requires a
different set of policy options that must include less scare-mongering tactics that demonise
Muslims.

The GTI also tempers the terrorism debate by illustrating that more people die of homicides and
other causes than terrorism. For instance, the global homicide rate is 13 times the terrorism
rate: 437,000 people died in 2014 due to homicides compared to 32,685 deaths caused by
terrorist attacks.

Closer to home, Pakistan has been undoing the militant infrastructure since June 2014. Despite
the reduction in the number of terror attacks, the regional dynamics are worrying. Reconciliation
between the Afghan Taliban and the Ghani Administration remains uncertain. The Pakistani
Taliban, reportedly, have found refuge in Afghanistan. More worryingly, the IS has been making
inroads into the region. For instance, two IS training camps were identified in Afghanistan’s
eastern province of Logar.

Pakistan’s army chief has said that the IS will find no place in Pakistan. This is encouraging but
to ensure this, the complete dismantling of the militant infrastructure would be required. Media
reports have alluded that the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was trying to ally itself with the IS. Perhaps, this
is one of the reasons for the elimination of its leadership in recent times. Operations against
sectarian outfits and the TTP have improved the security climate, but the existence of Kashmir-
centric militias and especially their base — the unregulated seminaries — remain an unfinished
agenda of counterterrorism efforts in the country.

It is a truism that military action is a short-term instrument. Long-term security requires

governance reforms, especially the much-needed restructuring of the police and prosecution
services, reforming of intelligence agencies, improving the judicial system and amending

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archaic procedural laws to rescue the criminal justice system. Marginalised groups, such as
residents of Fata, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan need a political voice and inclusion into the
national mainstream. It seems that there is some political will to finally end the apartheid in tribal
agencies by treating the people there as full citizens, and Baloch separatist leaders’ willingness
to talk is also a welcome sign. Parleys should begin sooner rather than later.

All of these measures cannot guarantee long-term security unless the civil-military combine
does not undertake a foreign policy review, especially questioning why a militia should be
Pakistan’s only option to gain influence in Afghanistan. The much-talked-about shift in the
military’s approach to extremist groups needs to be leveraged by parliament to enact much-
needed legislative changes. Pakistan’s future direction has to be free of constructed doctrines —
from Islamic nationalism to jihadism — that have outlived their utility and turned into a liability.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2015.

Source: http://tribune.com.pk/story/1003336/global-terrorism-myth-and-reality/

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