Terrorists step up killing spree

LONDON: The number of people killed globally in terrorist attacks jumped by 61 percent last year, reflecting the rise of Boko Haram and Islamic State jihadists, the Institute for Economics and Peace said yesterday.

In its 2014 Global Terrorism Index launched in London, the Australian research group reported there were almost 10 000 terrorist attacks last year, a 44 percent increase on 2012.

The attacks resulted in 17 958 fatalities, up from 11 133 in 2012, with more than 80 percent of the deaths in five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria.

Iraq was found to be the country most affected by terrorism, recording a 164 percent rise in fatalities, to 6 362, with Islamic State responsible for most of the deaths.

Four groups – Islamic State, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and the Taliban – were blamed for 66 percent of all fatalities.

But the report found that attacks had also increased in the rest of the world, with fatalities rising by half the previous figure, to 3 236 last year. A total of 60 countries recorded deaths from terrorist attacks last year.

The report highlighted Angola, Bangladesh, Burundi, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Iran, Israel, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Uganda as countries at increased risk from terror attacks. – Sapa-AFP