MOUNTING TERRORISM
MAED –SOCIAL STUDIES
What is
terrorism?
thesystematic use of violence to create a
general climate of fear in a population and
thereby to bring about a particular political
objective.
Thishas been practiced by political organizations
with both rightist and leftist objectives, by
nationalistic and religious groups, by
revolutionaries, and even by state institutions
such as armies, intelligence services, and police.
Where does terrorism usually do the
attack?
Schools,shopping centres, bus and train stations, and
restaurants and night clubs have been targeted both
because they attract large crowds and because they
are places with which members of the civilian
population are familiar and in which they feel at
ease.
It was first coined in the 1790s to refer to the terror used
during the French Revolution by the revolutionaries against
their opponents. The Jacobin party of Maximilien
Robespierre carried out a Reign of Terror involving mass
executions by the guillotine.
The Jacobin party of Maximilien Robespierre carried out a Reign
of Terror involving mass executions by the guillotine. Although
terrorism in this usage implies an act of violence by a state
against its domestic enemies, since the 20th century the term
has been applied most frequently to violence aimed, either
directly or indirectly, at governments in an effort to influence
policy or topple an existing regime.
In order to attract and maintain the publicity necessary to
generate widespread fear, terrorists must engage in
increasingly dramatic, violent, and high-profile attacks. These
have included hijackings, hostage takings, kidnappings, car
bombings, and, frequently, suicide bombings.
What is the goal of terrorism in
attacking familiar places?
Major targets sometimes also include buildings or other
locations that are important economic or political symbols, such
as embassies or military installations. The hope of the terrorist
is that the sense of terror these acts engender will induce the
population to pressure political leaders toward a specific
political end.
The Deadliest Terrorist Groups In The
World Today
Of the 18,814 deaths caused by terrorists around the world last year,
well over half were due to the actions of just four groups: Islamic
State, the Taliban, Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram.
According to Global Terrorism Index 2018, compiled by the Institute
for Economics & Peace (IEP), these four organisations were
responsible for 10,632 deaths in 2017. Their actions contribute to
the instability of what are some of the most dangerous countries in
the world, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia and Syria.
Over the past decade they have accounted for 44% of all terrorist
deaths.
Islamic State – 4,350 deaths in 2017
Also known in the Arab world as Daesh and by the acronyms ISIS and ISIL,
Islamic State has been the deadliest terrorist group in the world for the
past three years. It has been largely defeated in its home territory of
Syria and Iraq but it remains capable of launching attacks in those
countries and has also inspired individuals and affiliated groups to stage
attacks in other parts of the Middle East as well as Europe and Asia.
ISIS tends to prefer bombings or explosions – these accounted for 69% of
its attacks last year. However, it also carries out hostage takings and
assassinations.
The Taliban – 3,571 deaths in 2017
The Afghan group has been waging a war of attrition with
the U.S.-backed coalition since 2001 and has proven
remarkably resilient. As of mid-2017, it controlled an
estimated 11% of the country and was contesting a further
29% of Afghanistan’s 398 districts. It is active in 70% of
Afghanistan’s provinces.
In 2017, Taliban forces were responsible for 699 attacks,
causing 3,571 deaths, with armed assaults and bombings
the most common form of attack. In addition, its affiliate
in neighbouring Pakistan, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, was
responsible for a further 56 attacks and 233 deaths.
The Taliban's actions have become more deadly in the
past year, killing an average of 5.1 people per attack
in 2017 (up from 4.2 people the year before). The
group has adjusted its tactics in recent years,
switching its focus away from attacks on civilian
targets and towards police and military personnel.
The Taliban killed 2,419 police and military personnel
in 2017, up from 1,782 the year before. The number
of attacks on such targets also increased from 369 in
2016 to 386 in 2017. At the same time, the number of
civilian deaths caused by the Taliban fell to 548 in
2017, compared to 1,223 in 2016.
Al-Shabaab – 1,457 deaths in 2017
The extremist militant group Al-Shabaab emerged in 2006. It is
an affiliate of Al-Qaida and while its main area of operations is
Somalia, it has also carried out attacks in Ethiopia, Kenya and
Uganda.
Al-Shabaab was the deadliest terror group in sub-Saharan
Africa in 2017, being responsible for 1,457 deaths, a rise of
93% on the year before. Two-thirds of the deaths were in the
Somali capital Mogadishu. The worst incident was in October
2017, when 588 people were killed and 316 injured in an
explosion outside the Safari Hotel in the Hodan area of the
city.
Many of the countries worst affected by terrorism have
seen a decline in the number of deaths over recent
years, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria and
Pakistan. Somalia, however, has been an unfortunate
exception to that trend, due to the actions of Al-
Shabaab. There have been almost 6,000 deaths from
terrorism in the country since 2001
Boko Haram – 1,254 deaths in 2017
The Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram (also known by the
far longer name Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-
Jihad) was once the world’s deadliest terror group but it
has been in decline since 2014 and has recently started to
splinter into different factions, the largest of which is the
Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP).
Since it emerged in the northeast of the country in 2002 it
has spread out to other nearby countries including Chad,
Cameroon and Niger and the group has sworn allegiance to
Islamic State.
The fall in terrorist deaths in Nigeria in recent years – the
number of deaths is down 83% from the 2014 peak – indicates
that the region’s security forces, assisted by international
allies, are having an impact on groups such as Boko Haram.
The battle is far from won, though. Boko Haram carried out
40% more attacks and was responsible for 15% more deaths in
2017 than in the year before.
Most of the group's attacks last year were carried out in
Nigeria – particularly in Borno State – with smaller numbers in
Cameroon and Niger. The group has gained notoriety for mass
hostage takings and the extensive use of children and women
as suicide bombers.
Other terrorist groups
Beyond these four deadly organisations, myriad other terrorist groups are
active around the world. Last year, a total of 169 groups were responsible
for at least one death, but more than 130 others also carried out attacks.
Many of these groups are small but some are large, including Al-Qaida
which is thought to have 30,000 fighters across 17 countries in the Middle
East and Africa. Other less well-known groups are becoming more
prominent, including the Fulani in Nigeria which was responsible for 321
deaths and 72 attacks in 2017. While those numbers represented a fall
from its activities in 2016, IEP says that there has been a significant
increase in violence by the group in 2018. Another deadly group in Nigeria
is the Bachama, which carried out four attacks and killed 30 people in
2017.
In Syria, there are numerous terrorist groups, including Hayat al-Tahrir al-
Sham (previously known as both Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and Al-Nusra) and
Jaysh al-Islam. They were responsible for 176 and 127 deaths respectively
in 2017.
In Pakistan, the most active groups include Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the
Khorasan Chapter of the Islamic State, which is also active across the
border in Afghanistan.
In neighbouring India, the most deadly group last year was the Communist
Party of India (Maoist), also known as the Naxals, which was responsible
for 205 deaths and 190 incidents. The northern Indian state of Jammu and
Kashmir is a particular focus of terrorist activity in India. Last year five
different groups, including Lashkar-e-Taliba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and
Hizbul Mujahideen, were responsible for 102 deaths in the state between
them.
In Yemen, the most active group is the Houthi rebels,
which are fighting a brutal war against the Saudi-led
coalition which supports the internationally-
recognized government of President Abd Rabbu
Mansour Hadi. It’s worth noting that the definition of
terrorism used by IEP – which only covers attacks by
non-state actors – means the targeting of civilians by
Saudi forces and their allies is not included in the
Global Terrorism Index. Other active groups in Yemen
include Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and
Adan-Abyan Province of the Islamic State.
Among the deadliest groups operating outside the
main terrorist hotspots of Africa and the Middle East
is The New People’s Army in The Philippines. Last
year it killed 113 people in 235 attacks around the
country. There is also an Islamic State affiliate in the
country, Abu Sayyaf – Philippines Province, which was
responsible for 37 deaths last year. Another
collection of Islamist extremists, the Maute Group,
killed 26 people.
In Western Europe and North America, far-right
extremists are a growing threat. In 2017, they carried
out 59 attacks which killed 17 people. Most of the
incidents were carried out by individuals motivated by
extreme white nationalist or anti-Muslim beliefs.
The cost of all this terrorism in 2017 has been
conservatively estimated at $52bn by the IEP.
References:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/terrorism
https://www.britannica.com/topic/terrorism/Types-of-terrorism
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominicdudley/2018/12/05/deadliest-
terrorist-groups-in-the-world/#74f6c0452b3e
https://www.slideshare.net/sakada_srun/terrorism-causese-effects-
and-solutions
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/11/terrorism
