Press "Enter" to skip to content

Terrorism threatens global security

Recent attacks in Belgium, Pakistan latest in a wave

Matt Olson, Copy Editor

The world mourns with Belgium in the wake of the recent attacks.
The world mourns with Belgium in the wake of the recent attacks.

On the morning of March 22, terrorists linked to ISIS attacked Brussels Airport and Maalbeek metro station in Belgium, killing more than 30 and wounding more than 300 additional victims.

During the Easter holiday, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban set off bombs in a Lahore park where Christians had gathered to celebrate, killing 72 and wounding nearly 350, according to a BBC report.

While there is no established link between the two acts, one common message is clear: terrorism is a threat facing the world as a whole. The attacks are two of the latest in a sudden surge of terrorist activity – around 30 people were killed and more than 50 were wounded following an attack on a soccer stadium in Iskandariyah, Iraq on March 25; five people were killed and nearly 40 were wounded following an attack on a shopping district in Istanbul, Turkey on March 19; nearly 40 people were killed and upwards of 120 were wounded following a car bombing in Ankara, Turkey on March 13; and 16 were killed and an untold number were wounded in an attack on an Ivory Coast resort, also on March 13, according to several Mirror articles. The March 19 and 25 attacks were attributed to ISIS while the March 13 attack in Turkey was attributed to a Syrian Kurdish terror cell and the March 13 attack in the Ivory Coast was attributed to Al-Qaeda.

The Brussels attacks were perpetrated by three suicide bombers, who were aided by an unknown number of additional suspects. Multiple arrests have been made across Western Europe since the attacks, but other suspects remain at large. The arrests have uncovered an underground terrorist network running throughout Western Europe, according to The Australian.

President Obama issued a proclamation, declaring support for Belgium and ordering that United States flags be flown at half-staff across the nation and the world to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks, according to a White House press release.

Following Sunday’s attack, the Pakistani prime minister and army chief have sworn to increase the nation’s vigilance against terrorism. More than 200 individuals have been taken in for questioning in relation to the attack, Pakistan’s deadliest terrorist incident since the December 2014 attack on a Peshawar public school.

Obama has yet to respond to the terrorist attack in Pakistan, while the terrorist attacks across Africa and the Middle East have gone largely unmentioned by American media sources. If the U.S. seeks to aid its allies in destroying terrorism, then the nation has to acknowledge acts of terrorism that occur around the world.

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *