Terror attacks rock Germany and Turkey
Lone wolves or
in packs extremists aim to inflict
mayhem on the softest of targets and to kill
without mercy
Tuesday was a day of unmitigated horror in the capitals of Germany and Turkeyboth these countries, particularly the latter, has been on the receiving end of acts of dastardly terror attacks on several occasions in the past. Berlin incident sent shockwaves throughout the world. Here a truck drove through a crowd of happy Christmas shoppers, leaving the street full of blood and gore of the dead and the injured. And just a few hours earlier the Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated by a gunman in Ankara where he was addressing an art exhibition. It is yet to be ascertained whether the two attacks were connected. However, the trucker in Berlin and the assassin in Istanbul apparently inspired by the so-called faith perpetrated acts that were barbaric assaults on humanity.
These types of attacks are geared to achieve a psychological effect on news viewers around the world. We are being forced to witness reports of senseless carnage, whether it be in Paris, Brussels, Orlando, Istanbul or any number of other places, at frighteningly regular intervals.
The Western media has often criticized developing countries for their supposed failure to curb extremists. However, as the gruesome incident in the West shows, the task of rooting out extremism is hardly an easy one. Be that as it may there is consensus across the boards that the fight against fanaticism, particularly of the religious variety, must be intensified. There should be no mercy shown to those who in the name of their deranged ideology kill and maim innocent people.
A nexus of medieval ideas and modern telecommunications has provided extremist groups with a rare opportunity to recruit and corrupt. Lone wolves or in packs, armed with simple or sophisticated gear, aim to inflict mayhem on the softest of targets, to kill without mercy, to die for a hair-brained cause.
To defeat terrorism in the long run, the fight must be a sustained one and complemented by other measures that deprive hatemongers and fanatical demagogues of access to funds and space and the liberty to preach their divisive message. Extremism has no boundaries and respects no rules. The menace of extremism is fast growing, and one thing is sure the attacks in Berlin and Istanbul will not unfortunately, be the last of such damnable acts. All countries of the world should bear the responsibility to defeat the sources of extremism.
These latest attack should be an occasion for solidarity. In order to win the difficult war against terrorism, we must not surrender to fear.
