Time for coordinated security operations centre

The attacks in Kuwait and Tunisia and the attempt by terrorists to sow divisions in society were the topics that dominated headlines in newspapers across the region

Commenting on the bombing inside a Shiite mosque in Kuwait, the UAE’s Al Bayan said it was a heinous crime carried out by terrorist groups that do not take into account the concept of mercy. “These organisations, wherever they may be, murder innocents and are bereft of any conscience or humanity. Their goal is to promote strife and enmity, to tear apart the social fabric of nations. The sick actions of these extremists, and the cowardly bombing in Kuwait, reaffirm that terrorism targets everyone. These terrorist groups will not stop carrying out their cowardly crimes in order to compromise the region’s and the world’s security and stability. These attacks can only be stopped through global collaborative efforts. The UAE’s condemnation of the attack on the Imam Al Sadiq mosque reaffirms that this cowardly attack will only make the UAE more determined to combat terrorism.”

Oman’s Al Watan said that following the earlier attacks in Saudi Arabia’s Al Qatif region, and the attack in Kuwait, this region is no longer in the neutral zone. If this region is not yet in the middle of the fire, then it is at least being affected by the flames. “There is no longer a country in this area that is safe from fires burning in all directions. The perpetrators are being chased, but who’s cracking down on the ideology of terrorism? Every single Arab citizen is now in danger. The enemy does not differentiate between societies. Sleeper cells exist everywhere, and perhaps they possess the capabilities to communicate with one another without the knowledge of the security bodies, or maybe intelligences can detect the movement of these groups and thwart their attacks. We are susceptible to this danger as one nation, and therefor we must unite to face it,” the paper said.

The attacks in Tunisia and Kuwait once again revealed the ugly face of the criminal terrorist groups and their hatred towards ordinary people, Qatar’s Al Sharq noted.

“The attacks reveal that these groups are undermining the gains made by the people under the pretext that they are trying to regain their rights. These criminal acts are aimed at undermining the security and stability of nations and murdering innocents, which contradicts all humanitarian and divine values and principles. These attacks reaffirm the need for solidarity in order to denounce violence and reject all forms of terrorism, regardless of its motives. The Arab world’s politicians and intellectuals must now, more than ever, put a serious thought into the reasons that have led us to this current bitter reality. They must come together to put in place effective solutions against terrorism and extremist ideology, because security solutions will no longer suffice.”

Jordan’s Al Rai newspaper noted that the targeting of countries such as Kuwait and Tunisia reflects just how far these acts of terrorism have gone and warrants urgent solutions to combat the scourge of Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). “A coordinated security and military operations centre, if not on the global-scale then at least in the Arab world, must be set up, especially since it is now clear that most Arab countries are targets. There is not a single Arab nation that can even think that it’s safe from such attacks. This was a blow not only against Kuwait, but against all of us as Muslims and Arabs.”