Chinese general: Some nations call terrorists freedom fighters

BEIJING: Some nations are “abusing” the definition of terrorism to advance their goals by calling terrorists in another country “freedom fighters”, a Chinese general from a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) university has said.

The trend has complicated the fight against terrorism across the world, said Wang Jingwu, president of the National University of Defence Technology’s School of International Relations.

Wang named four countries in which he believes terrorists have been expanding their presence: Turkey, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. He did not mention Pakistan, which India maintains is a hotbed of cross-border terrorism.

“Some countries are abusing the definition of terrorism and counterterrorism mechanisms to advance their own national goals. Terrorists in one country might be considered ‘freedom fighters’ and get support from another,” Wang was quoted as saying by the state media. “If we can’t have common understanding of what a terrorist is, the future of global counterterrorism efforts will be very difficult.”

He was speaking at a session on counterterrorism at the 9th Xiangshan Forum in Beijing.

According to China Daily, Wang suggested that countries should forge a stronger consensus against terrorist acts. “Terrorists are becoming more globalised, internet-savvy and younger,” he said. “This poses serious challenges to global counterterrorism efforts because terrorists are becoming more scattered and elusive.”