A Current Threat Dynamics in Two-folds
April 2020 Edition
By:
Rommel K Manwong
and
Leandro Y Paralisan
LEAPS Academy Philippines
PG Diploma in Terrorism Studies
Leveraging on COVID-19 Crisis; Philippine Troops Attacked
As the
world deals with the rising death toll from this pandemic, governments around
the globe have stayed conscious of another fearsome enemy lurking around the
corner - terrorism. As it seems to appear, the atrocities being carried out in
the midst of COVID-19 crisis are deliberate, decisive and clearly leveraging on
the current challenge everyone is up against.
Just about
three days past, the CTGs planted improvised explosive devices in a farm trail
in Surigao del Sur, potentially targeting local farmers in the area. This act
of what could have been a tragic one was effectively foiled by the Army’s 401st
Brigade and 3rd Special Forces Battalion. These are recent glaring attacks on
top of the murders, ambuscades and treacherous acts of stealing government
reliefs intended for communities.
Currently,
our government troops are in hot pursuit of the terror groups that killed and
wounded several of our brave soldiers recently at the southern part of the
country. A portion of our forces are also combing heavy mountains going after
Communist Terrorists Groups (CTGs) responsible for the attacks against
communities targeting our frontliners out to deliver aid to helpless civilians.
Pandemic Exploitation on the Global
Scale
While
these are being experienced domestically, targeted attacks in the international
scene were also carried out by armed Islamist and Jihadist
groups under direct orders from the higher ranks of terror organizations such
as the ISIS.
Increasing
amount of evidence proves strong that these groups are deliberately exploiting
the COVID-19 crisis. Drawn from Al-Naba, an ISIS propaganda driven magazine,
Shari’a directives were given on how to deal with epidemics - an indication of
exploitation about the disease in their favor. Succeeding directives yielded much
more about encouraging their followers to take advantage of the vulnerabilities
that many countries are currently facing, to carry out attacks particularly
against the West. It contends: “The last thing they (the Crusaders)
want is for their current tribulations with the pandemic to coincide with the
attacks in their own countries like the attacks in Paris, London and Brussels”- and
conceivably, our troop encounter with the Abu Sayyaf Group this month may have
been a signal of compliance to this global directive.
Meantime,
the same gist may have been likely replicated by Pro-IS channels, wherein a
picture of the virus bearing a caption “Soldier of Allah” was
released through an ISIS aligned channel - a scriptural reference to the
virtues of their perceived martyrdom. In addition, the April 15 attack on
Mahibadhoo Island in the Maldives where five speedboats and two vessels were
set ablaze came unexpectedly as the capital was already experiencing the effects
of the pandemic. It can also be remembered, that the first serious terrorist
attack in the country took place in 2007 when an improvised explosive device
(IED) exploded in Sultan Park at the capital Male, injuring 12 foreign
tourists.
Counter
Terrorism Operations Amidst COVID-19
Given the
foreseeability of criminal organizations exploiting the pandemic crisis, there
is a conspicuous collaboration by nations to interrupt crime dynamics in the
international level. Codenamed “Maharlika III”, an INTERPOL
led operation triggered a synthesize effort between Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia
and the Philippines (BIMP) in strategic points along known terrorist transit
routes in Southeast Asia. This operation was effectively carried out through a
series of simultaneous law enforcement and border control actions since
February this year. Such coordinated move did not only disrupted terrorist
travel, but also paved a way for the arrest of more than 180 individuals for
various offences, including one suspected member of the terrorist group Abu
Sayyaf Group (ASG).
Terrorist
Today, Responder’s Tomorrow
Another
way of looking into the dynamism of pandemic terrorism is that of understanding
how terror groups pay attention to any crisis and take advantage for an
immediate future state. The statement “yesterday’s terrorists are
today’s public health providers” tells us somewhat relative to the
immediate future of pandemic terrorism. The current crisis has opened up
opportunities for a range of terrorists, insurgents, and criminal organizations
across the world.
As seen in
few years past, for instance, when the 7.5 earthquake rocked Pakistan in 2015,
members of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa – a notable militant-terror
group linked with the al Queda, and blamed for the bloody 2008 attack in
Mumbai, were tagged as heroes by the earthquake survivors for their assistance.
In the aftermath of the disaster, Lashkar-e-Taiba, another
extremist Islamist terrorist organization, won widespread praise for its
efforts in helping, providing support, and distributing aid to Pakistanis
impacted by the earthquake. Pandemic can also be utilized for such a
recognition. The terror groups may set up better structures to readily
acquire political and social advantages by way of medical missions or public
health services among targeted constituents with the objective to win the heart
of the people and their sympathy to their causes, an insurgent’s propaganda to
get new converts and weaken their enemies.
Terror
and Disease – A Twin Dynamic Threat of the Current Times
With these
striking developments, the current pandemic and worldwide disorder is clearly
providing extremists, terror groups and insurgents the immediate opportunity to
organize, rebuild and carry out their objectives in sowing fear and terror
while accomplishing their agendas at the expense of every floating
vulnerabilities.
In these
current times, benchmarks, platforms are expected to arise not only from
terrorist organizations, but also anti-government forces who will find pandemic
times working in their favor and considered windows of opportunity. This
minacious trend shall bring nations in a tenet, that “Pandemic
Terrorism”, is a current threat the present humanity has to deal with,
in two-folds.
*****
Suggested
Readings:
- Islamic State Terror in the Maldives – By Azim Zahir
- Philippine News Agency - NPA Hit for Planting Explosives in Surigao
- INTERPOL, Codename: Maharlika III
- International for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence
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similar insights at:
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