Haunted by terrorism
(VOV) - Two years ago, on May 2, the US jubilantly celebrated the death of Osama Bin Laden, the terrorist leader who masterminded the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington D.C, Al Qaeda branches in Pakistan and other countries continue to threaten security in the US and US interests around the world.
The US has been strengthening its security these days. US President Barak Obama has ordered all necessary measures to protect the people. The US Embassy in Pakistan has instructed its staff not to go to restaurants or crowded places in Pakistan at this time. Activities are underway in Pakistan to mark the day Bin Laden was killed by American Navy Seals. Killing Bin Laden was great success as it eliminated Bin Laden and weakened the global terrorist network.
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| Bomb explosion in Boston marathon on April 15 (Photo: Reuters) |
When Bin Laden was killed, people around the world felt relieved. The US administration said Bin Laden’s death weakened the Al Qeada network and this terrorism group could no longer carry out such attacks as the one on September 11, 2001. This reassured the American people and some believed that the threat was over. But the reality has been different.
Since Bin Laden’s death, elaborate attacks have been ruled out, but individual attacks have increased. Without direct instruction from Al Qeada, these attacks present challenges for anti-terrorism forces.
Over the last two years, the US has been threatened with numerous bomb attack attempts against major administration agencies. The most recent was the bomb attack of the Boston marathon on April 15. Though the number killed or injured was small, a bomb explosion at a major sports event renewed American worries about security. In Massachusetts, whose capital is Boston, April 15 is Patriot’s Day a day when people commemorate the first two battles of America’s war of independence. The attack drew world-wide attention.
Though Al Qeada has been weakened over the last two years, other terrorist movements have expanded their operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan and a number of African countries. Following major political fluctuations in the Middle-East, and North Africa, Al Qeada has been expanding its network connecting Somalia via the Red Sea to Yemen.
Daily reports on terrorist attacks in these hot spots show that killing Bin Laden was not enough to eliminate terrorism. The Al Qeada network which promotes a Muslim Holy War prevails in many places throughout the world provoking extremism among young people. The two bombs exploded in Boston were two pressure cooker bombs, similar to weapons extremist Muslims have used in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. Such bombs were also used in the bomb attacks in Times Square in New York in 2010.
The Al Qeada network in 2012 posted on its website instructions for making pressure cooker bombs and called for attacks using these bombs. Though authorities say the bombs in the Boston attack were small and it was a domestic attack, unrelated to Al Qeada network, the method of the attackers was influenced by terrorists.
In the two years since Bin Laden’s death, the Obama administration’s achievements in fighting terrorism are undeniable, but it is true that Al Qeada forces remain a big threat. Political instability in the Middle-East and Africa and major countries’ intervention into their regime changes create favorable conditions for terrorists to expand their operation and the fight against terrorism will be long.