Paris:
Most favored destination for Terrorist Attacks:
Now
that most of the hysteria and excited assumptions of the attack on Paris are
over, we should take time to clinically analyze this attack on a European
cultural centre and its ramifications for the future.
The
attack on Paris on Friday 13 (2015) was the first multi-target, well
coordinated attack on six different locations killed 130 persons and wounded 368.
There was no advance information on the specifics of this attack since the
usual internet chatter prior to the attack was missing. Informants deeply
embedded into terrorist areas were also unaware of the plans; leading to a
rising concern that the attack squads were trained to “go dark”, i.e. – use minimal
communication and carry out their part of the attack without any contact to
other attackers or their handlers. EU Intelligence services had already stated
their suspicions that “professional squads of terrorists were inserting
themselves into migrant groups from Syria and North Africa”; but the ruthless
efficiency of the attacks caught everyone by surprise.
Paris
is the favorite target of terrorists.
Since 1961, more than 250 people have been killed and over 600 injured
in terrorist attacks carried out by a variety of groups, the most recent being
Algerian insurgents and Islamic extremists. The latest attack is significant in
its disciplined multi-target approach and the extent of damage that was caused
to life and property. While earlier attacks on Paris were the handiwork of
various ideologies from the far left to the extreme right, Daesh (Islamic
State) has targeted Paris for three unique reasons.
Firstly,
since Paris is considered by radical Islamist's as an epitome of debauchery and
decadence; and hence needs to be punished for straying onto an immoral path. More
so, it was in Paris that the famous slogan “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”
was first declared as the “Rights of Man and Citizens”; an idea that is deeply
resented by the Islamic radicals.
Secondly,
it is considered an easy target with greatest opportunity to inflict damage.
Given its porous borders with Spain and Italy in the south; men, guns and bombs
can be easily smuggled from either the Mediterranean side or Bay of Biscay and
into France. The fact that this specific group of Islamic extremists chose to
base themselves in Belgium prior to the attack is a major indicator about their
modus operandi to stay under local Intelligence surveillance networks.
Thirdly,
terrorism is prominently a psychological war. The focus of every terrorist
attack is to ensure a large enough amount of destruction, death and bloodshed
to ensure that the incident gets global headline news. This creates fear in the
minds of the people who are attacked and creates an illusion that terrorists
can strike anywhere and anytime as it pleases them. The bigger psychological
effect is on the Muslim population that supports terrorism. Every jihadi attack
like 13/11 is considered a winning attack and leads to more recruits joining
the ranks of terrorists and towards higher amounts in donations and funds
received by terrorist organizations.
Planning
the attack on Friday the 13th also seems to have a purpose. This
date is known as “black Friday” in the West and considered unlucky. Though it
is only a popular superstition in Western society, an estimated 17 – 22 million
people are affected by a fear of this day, making it the most feared date and
day in history. The terrorist attack on this day and date would reinforce the
fear factor in the Western society, or so the terrorists hope.
Every
terrorist attack is a political statement by the attackers. In this specific
case, apart from this being a revenge attack by Daesh on France for its
participation in the bombings of Islamic State targets, the underlying reason
is to embolden the fringe elements of Islamic radicals in Europe to increase
lone wolf or wolf pack attacks onto the general public and cause disruptions in
the western society and economy. We should not forget that the main export of
the Islamic State is its ideology of merciless Jihad, and that is the real
danger that the world needs to learn how to control, contain and defeat.
The
French people did respond back immediately with a avalanche of social media
response (the hash-tag portesouvertes
or ‘open doors’) where on-the-ground people opened up their homes as safe
sanctuary to those who were caught in the madness of the attacks, and viral
videos of the residents of France singing their national anthem as they exited
in a disciplined fashion from the venue of the soccer match which was attacked
by a suicide bomber. The singular message from the People of France to the
terrorists was “You may have broken the bodies of the victims, but not shaken
the spirit of Libery, Equality and Fraternity”.
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