The Island Editorial

A gruesome finale

24 May 2017

The latest terror strike in the UK has killed 22 persons including children and left scores of others injured. The cowardly attack must be condemned and the criminals responsible for it brought to book. Thousands of terrified music lovers were seen running helter-skelter following Monday’s blast at the conclusion of the Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena. The gruesome finale of the musical show must have evoked, in all Sri Lankans, horrible memories of numerous savage terrorist bomb attacks on civilian targets from the mid 1980s to 2009.

Mega events extend an open invitation to terrorists who are looking for the slightest opportunity to strike. True, life must go on in spite of terrorist threats and terrorists must be denied the pleasure of having civilians life crippled, but people must not be exposed to danger unnecessarily. Foolproof security is not within the realms of possibility and the organisers of the Manchester concert should have been more careful. It is reported that the bomber gained access to the venue when doors were opened shortly before the end of the concert.

Terrorists have once again demonstrated their ability to strike at will anywhere in the world by carrying out a bomb attack with ease in Britain, which has been on red alert. Brainwashed and bent on plunging the civilised world into chaos, they won’t baulk at anything to achieve their macabre goals. No country is safe.

Unfortunately, the world is not united in tackling terrorism. The less said about the UN the better. It allows its human right arm to be used by certain strategic alliances as a tool to advance their agendas on the pretext of protecting global democracy much to the disappointment of the victims of terror.

Addressing a group of leaders from the Muslim countries, US President Donald Trump declared on Sunday: "No discussion of stamping out this (terrorist) threat would be complete without mentioning the government that gives terrorists ... safe harbour, financial backing, and the social standing needed for recruitment ... I am speaking, of course, of Iran." Ironically, among the leaders in the audience were friends of the US, responsible for creating the ISIS, which blasts civilian targets in the West! He may have struck a responsive chord with terror victims the world over if he had, instead of venting his spleen on Iran, lashed out at all countries which provide safe haven, financial backing and social standing to terrorist groups.

Can the US and its allies deny the fact they themselves have sponsored savage terrorist outfits to further their interests? Afghanistan would not have been plagued with terrorism today but for US backing for some ragtag armies which, after driving away the Russians, evolved into formidable terror groups such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The self-righteous western powers also backed militant groups in Libya though they were fully aware that there were many Jihadist fighters among the armed combatants to get rid of Gaddafi. Having sown the wind, they are now reaping the whirlwind.

In 2009, the then British PM Gordon Brown stressed the need for fighting the Taliban terrorism in Afghanistan so that the streets of London would be safe. (Ironically, he was promoting war on terror with gung-ho zeal while his government was trying to confer pariah status on this country, which had just defeated terrorism and made its streets safe for one and all.) Terrorists have over the years opened new fronts and rendered British cities as vulnerable as their counterparts in other parts of the terror-stricken world.

Unless the powerful nations abandon their despicable policy of promoting terrorism on the sly against other nations to further their interests, and make a concerted effort to root out the scourge of terror in all its forms and manifestations wherever it occurs the world will become an even more dangerous place.