The proliferation of terrorism

At least 21 people have died in an attack on a hotel in Bamako, the capital of Mali. The dead include two of the attackers, with the atrocity being claimed by Al-Mourabitoun, an African jihadi group affiliated with al Qaeda, which claimed responsibility in a message posted on Twitter. There seems little reason to doubt the claim. As yet, there does not appear to be any direct linkage between this attack in Mali and the attacks in Paris on November 13, but it points towards the expanding global reach of terrorism, particularly the terrorism that has its roots in the countries of the Maghreb and the Levant, and the wars currently being fought there.

Terrorist groups have become increasingly diverse and one of them, the Islamic State (IS), is rich, self-sustaining financially through oil revenues and taxation within the territories it holds, and has the capacity to launch chemical and biological attacks. ‘Franchising’ is a concept commonly associated with fast food chains and retail outlets, but it has grown rapidly in the world of terrorist groups. Both al Qaeda and the IS have affiliate groups that offer allegiance to them and operate under their flag, but do not necessarily have any direct operational linkage.

Within Pakistan, there have been declarations of allegiance to the IS as well as al Qaeda by established Taliban groups, likewise the Taliban in Afghanistan. They share an ideology and seemingly have no shortage of funds. The IS would be pushing at an open door in Pakistan as evidenced by a recent Pew survey, and to deny an IS presence here is a dangerous delusion, but one clung to by our political leaders. Indeed, Pakistan is particularly vulnerable to entryism by the IS as swathes of the population are already radicalised.

The attack in Mali is no one-off, neither the attacks in France. Terrorism is an interconnected beast of many parts. It is thriving in countries where the young in particular are feeling that they have missed the economic boat, are jobless and directionless, and see government as weak and corrupt. Sooner or later, the politics of denial is going to get a possibly bloody reality check in Pakistan. Before that happens, the country’s leadership needs to nip this threat in the bud.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2015.

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