RISE IN EXTREMIST ACTIVITY AMID COVID-19, SAYS UN

Fri 05 February 2021:

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been responsible for an increase in conflicts and the heightened threat from terrorist groups, UN experts have claimed in a report released yesterday.

The panel of experts evaluated that the risk of violence in conflict zones increased significantly throughout the second half of 2020. The primary reason is said to be that militants were able to operate easily and move freely despite lockdown restrictions affecting local populations, including security personnel.

According to the panel, militant groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda continue to operate in Syria while cells belonging to the Daesh terror group remain in both Iraq and Syria. The biggest threat, however, is apparently in Afghanistan, which remains the worst country in the world for terrorism.

In February last year, a landmark agreement between the Taliban and the US-backed Afghan government was signed in Qatar. It brought hope that the conflict in Afghanistan would soon be over.

However, with power to be shared and the US to withdraw most of its troops gradually, the agreement broke down during the year. It is reported that over 600 Afghan civilians and 2,500 security officers have since been killed. Iran has now offered itself as a mediator, hosting Taliban figures a week ago and urging the creation of an inclusive government in Kabul.

The report included details about the increasing number of terrorist incidents in other parts of the world such as Africa. Terrorist groups have, for example, increased their operations in Egypt, Mozambique, Somalia and the Sahel region.

It also noted that certain UN member states, which were not named, predict a rapid series of pre-planned terror attacks as the pandemic eases and restrictions are lifted.

The increase in terrorist operations in conflict areas is contrary to what many predicted in the early stages of the pandemic, when it was believed that the threat from Covid-19 would be a unifying rather than a divisive factor.