The world woke up yesterday to be confronted with the sad news of brutal twin bomb blasts at Zaventem airport in Brussels, capital of Belgium and an hour later another explosion struck in Maelbeek metro station near EU headquarters in the same country. In the two targeted places, no fewer than 30 innocent people were confirmed dead while 105 sustained various degrees of injuries, in addition to the damage done to structures and the fear the incidence had driven into the people’s psyche.
The horrendous attacks which the Islamic State (IS) had already claimed responsibility for, came a few days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam was apprehended in Belgium.
Indeed, the latest attacks in Brussels have come to signify various basic and important points, first is that any threat from the militants to Europe may rise and fall, but does not disappear. The second is that both terrorists and those trying to stop them seek to keep the initiative. This has a practical and a psychological aspect.
For counter-terrorist agencies, the aim is to get information fast enough to mount raids and sweep up suspects before they even have time to work out who among them has been detained and who might have talked, let alone plan a new strike. Networks quickly fall apart under such relentless pressure, as was shown in Iraq in the middle of the last decade.
As a matter of fact, the terrorist attacks, which unfortunately, have been launched by criminals hiding under Islamic religion, have so far been widespread. Such attacks have taken place in the United States of America, Paris, Kenya, Nigeria, Niger, Tunisia, Sana’a Mosque in Yemen, Tunisia, Denmark, Pakistan, Australia, China, Canada, Iraq, Ukraine, Syria and other countries across the world.
The culprits, to be sure, are not likely launching those attacks for the purpose of taking over the government of any country, because they know that it is not possible, but just so as to embarrass the governments and the world. In fact, for them, the aim is to show they can still terrorize, mobilize and polarize with violence. This is not so much about revenge, but simply demonstrating a continued capability. They may be down but, they are saying, they are not out.
This is the more reason that the security should never at any time be relaxed or taken for granted anytime anywhere. For, what has come out clearly is that the terrorists usually study the security networks and work to take advantage of loopholes created by relaxation in the systems, to launch attacks.
For terrorists, one strike anywhere in the world is enough to attract attention, and cause anguish, pains, tribulations, gnashing of teeth and other unspeakable reactions.
There is no gain saying the fact that the world leaders need to put heads together and address this serious challenge, at least to save their citizens from the devils that have emerged to take pleasure and pride in seeing people reel in pains and anguish.
We in Greenbarge Reporters grieved over the attacks yesterday and other attacks in many countries, including Nigeria and wish to register our sympathy to the families of the victims, the government and people of Belgium and other nations that have been so struck in the past.
It is our honest advice that time has come when the whole world must stand to confront these common enemies of humanity. Christians, Muslims and other religion adherents must not be led into believing that terrorist by whatever name called and under whatever guise is all about religion. It is, like we said, a common enemy to humanity and must be so fought. [myad]
