With the coordinated attacks in three continents, it's time to crack down on homegrown terrorists

People who love liberty and yearn for a peaceful life do not stand a chance when they stand in the way of killers who have lost their minds to violence which has drifted across continents, a United Arab Emirates newspaper has said.

In its today's editorial, the English language 'Khaleej Times' said Friday’s attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait show Daesh is fast capturing the imagination of homegrown terrorists. Sleeper terrorist cells or lone wolves now feel inspired, emboldened and motivated to rise for a religious or sectarian cause to butcher innocents in cold blood.

"People who love liberty and yearn for a peaceful life do not stand a chance when they stand in the way of killers who have lost their minds to violence which has drifted across continents. Liberal thought has been trampled upon and reasoning has been drowned for an insane cause that harks back to the dark ages of civilisation. What were the killers thinking when they sprayed 28 tourists with bullets in the Tunisian coastal town of Sousse; when they beheaded a French businessman, and when they set off a bomb in a mosque in Kuwait City which killed 25 people? Were the targets chosen because they belonged to a different race, religion or sect, or was it because of the role their countries played in the campaign against terrorists in Iraq and Syria? One thing is certain. These attacks have shown Daesh’s beastly ideology is gaining traction among people with radical leanings; with thugs, drug peddlers and those who have nothing better to do in life the so-called dregs of society. It is also believed that some rich individuals may be discreetly funding the activities of terror organisations and providing them with supplies and logistical support," the paper said.

The suspects in the French attack have links to extremist groups, according to police. Tunisia, whose democratic institutions have been strengthened by the Arab Spring, has been the victim of two such attacks since March.

No group has claimed responsibility for the Sousse shooting in which one terrorist was killed, but as we all know, Daesh is no flag-bearer of democracy. It will stop at nothing in its efforts to destabilise the region.

"Closer home, the Kuwait bombing should concern us more because it comes after a similar incident in Saudi Arabia mosque last month. A Daesh-linked group was quick to claim responsibility for the savage deed because it intends to stoke a wider sectarian conflict in the GCC," the paper added.

Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan called it an ‘‘escalation’’ by terror groups to sow sectarian disharmony in the region and across the world, echoing our views on the situation. Extremist groups are wearing the mantle of religion to justify their barbaric acts, Shaikh Abdullah said.

"The US and its Arab partners can win the battle on the ground in Iraq and Syria by sending in ground troops, special forces, tanks and artillery backed by air power. But they must expand and rope in new partners like China and Russia to gather intelligence on terror networks and their sources of funds, if they are to win the ideological battle against the extremists, which will prove a bigger challenge," it concluded. –End-

Image by: Khaleej Times