Terrorism on rise

International terrorism has seen a significant rise in the present century. The most noteable event with regard to this problem occurred in 1968 when a Palestinian terror group known as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine conducted a pre planned hijack of an El Al flight. The Munich Olympics were also rocked by terrorist attacks in the year 1972 when all the athletes that came from Israel were killed by a Palestinian terror group in order to secure the release of their prisoners. Since then, the world has been forced to divert its attention to this terrible ideology of using terrorizing tactics to attract attention to a religiously or politically motivated problem.

In recent years, most terror related activities can be traced back to the doctrines and ideologies of Islam that the terrorists use to justify their actions. The most important attack that probably changed the course of history is undoubtedly the September 11 attacks on the WTC towers in New York. The attacks were carried out after careful thought and planning with the mastermind being a much dreaded man Osama Bin laden. He single handedly is carrying forward the legacy of terrorist attacks till the present day and is possibly the most widely hunted fugitive on earth.

After the 9/11 attacks, the United States of America decided to invade Afghanistan where the terror group known as al Qaeda, headed by Bin Laden is said to operate from. Afghanistan is a country that was gradually being taken over by the Taliban which is an outfit that prides itself on fighting the jihad. They are largely opposed to globalization and view the western civilization with great contempt. The invasion of Afghanistan thus came at a crucial moment. However, there was a great spurt in terrorist activities in the Afghanistan region after the US and British army invaded this land. The local terrorist groups did not take this invasion of their space too kindly and started a kind of guerilla warfare against the troops. It now remains a constant struggle to maintain peace and harmony in Afghanistan.

The Al Qaeda and the Taliban not only attack western countries but also upcoming nations like India that are viewed as being supportive of western policies. The 26/11 attacks at the Hotel Taj in Mumbai where guests were taken hostage and most of them were killed is a case in point for the hatred of such groups towards any kind of development or progress. The shoot-downs were largely focused on foreign visitors in this case too most of them being from western countries.

It has become the duty of all the peaceful nations of the world to combine their forces and fight against this bane of modern life. Terrorists aim at disrupting the normal life of the civilians and thrive on creating an atmosphere of terror and unpredictability in the lives of citizens. So, it is our duty not to surrender to this evil force of the twenty first century and to keep on making small but significant steps that will gradually root out terrorism from the world.