Munich tragedy

Authorities everywhere must do everything to hinder assailants’ capacity to plan and organise, and bring these evildoers to justice

We extend our sympathies to the German people in a dark time for them. Bangladesh too has been victim of a particularly vicious attack only recently and Bangladeshis can understand the pain and anguish of the family and friends of the victims of the vicious attack in Munich, the third largest German city. Bangladesh and indeed nations across the globe share Germans’ grief and outrage.
We have repeatedly said in this column that killers of any hue should be met with firm resolve and no quarters should be given to perpetrators of attacks which target innocent unarmed victims. Those who act in such a dastardly and cowardly fashion only understand the application of ruthless force.
On a related note the Islamic State and others of its ilk have evolved into serious international terror threat, murdering hundreds of people in this year alone. It has been linked to the Paris, Brussels, Dhaka, Istanbul attacks, the downing of a Russian passenger aircraft, the bombings in Beirut and several others. It would hardly be an overstatement to say that this evil organisation is at war with the world.
Having said that, the latest attack in Munich proves it is well nigh impossible to completely protect cities from assaults of this kind. If a deranged individual–or organisation– with arms is determined to cause mayhem there is little chance to stop him/her. Extremists with their twisted creed of hate and bigotry detest freedoms, the lifestyles and the open, tolerant cultures and are hell-bent on destroying them.
Leaders and policymakers across the globe must take an uncompromising stance against narrow loyalties across sectarian lines — sentiments that provide fertile recruiting ground for those seeking a fast path to earthly or heavenly rewards. The authorities everywhere in the field of counter-terrorism must identify and tackle the factors which contribute to radicalisation and the processes by which individuals are recruited to commit acts of atrocity. They must do everything to hinder a potential evildoer’s capacity to plan and organise, and to bring these terrorists to justice. To achieve these goals, strengthening national capabilities, regional and international cooperation and information exchange is essential. The governments must work closely with other international and regional organisations to build international consensus and promote international standards for fighting these vicious elements.
There is hardly any doubt that extremists have to be defeated not just militarily but also on the ideological battlefield, by offering a compelling counter-narrative to the extremist ideology that unfortunately has some appeal to disaffected youths across the globe.

Munich tragedy

Authorities everywhere must do everything to hinder assailants capacity to plan and organise, and bring these evildoers to justice

We extend our sympathies to the German people in a dark time for them. Bangladesh too has been victim of a particularly vicious attack only recently and Bangladeshis can understand the pain and anguish of the family and friends of the victims of the vicious attack in Munich, the third largest German city. Bangladesh and indeed nations across the globe share Germans grief and outrage. We have repeatedly said in this column that killers of any hue should be met with firm resolve and no quarters should be given to perpetrators of attacks which target innocent unarmed victims. Those who act in such a dastardly and cowardly fashion only understand the application of ruthless force. On a related note the Islamic State and others of its ilk have evolved into serious international terror threat, murdering hundreds of people in this year alone. It has been linked to the Paris, Brussels, Dhaka, Istanbul attacks, the downing of a Russian passenger aircraft, the bombings in Beirut and several others. It would hardly be an overstatement to say that this evil organisation is at war with the world. Having said that, the latest attack in Munich proves it is well nigh impossible to completely protect cities from assaults of this kind. If a deranged individualor organisation with arms is determined to cause mayhem there is little chance to stop him/her. Extremists with their twisted creed of hate and bigotry detest freedoms, the lifestyles and the open, tolerant cultures and are hell-bent on destroying them. Leaders and policymakers across the globe must take an uncompromising stance against narrow loyalties across sectarian lines sentiments that provide fertile recruiting ground for those seeking a fast path to earthly or heavenly rewards. The authorities everywhere in the field of counter-terrorism must identify and tackle the factors which contribute to radicalisation and the processes by which individuals are recruited to commit acts of atrocity. They must do everything to hinder a potential evildoers capacity to plan and organise, and to bring these terrorists to justice. To achieve these goals, strengthening national capabilities, regional and international cooperation and information exchange is essential. The governments must work closely with other international and regional organisations to build international consensus and promote international standards for fighting these vicious elements. There is hardly any doubt that extremists have to be defeated not just militarily but also on the ideological battlefield, by offering a compelling counter-narrative to the extremist ideology that unfortunately has some appeal to disaffected youths across the globe.