Huge spike in deaths from terrorism

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.

These attacks resulted in 17 958 fatalities, up from 11 133 in 2012, with more than 80 percent of the deaths occurring in just 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 the Islamic State responsible for most of the deaths.

Four groups – the 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.

Worrying

A total of 60 countries recorded deaths from terrorist attacks last year.

“Since we first launched the GTI in 2012, we’ve seen a significant and worrying increase in worldwide incidents of terrorism,” said Steve Killelea, executive chairman of the institute.

“Over the last decade the increase in terrorism has been linked to radical Islamic groups. To counteract these influences, moderate forms of Sunni theologies need to be championed by Sunni Muslim nations.”

Killelea urged leaders to reduce state-sponsored violence, reduce group grievances and improve community-supported policing to reduce the threat.

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 of terrorist attacks.

Despite the global spike, the report stressed that the risk to Westerners remained slim. – Sapa-AFP