Were you surprised to learn that terrorists were a lot more active last year?

2015-06-20T02:28:17-04:00

Terrorist attacks around the world soared last year, driven by extremist groups in the Middle East and Africa, according to a State Department report released Friday.

The annual Country Report on Terrorism said much of the
35 percent increase was caused by the civil war in Syria and ongoing strife in Iraq, where extremists have declared a caliphate. The report said the Islamic State, also known by the abbreviation ISIL, had effectively replaced al-Qaeda as the major source and inspiration for extremist attacks.

“The prominence of the threat once posed by core [al-Qaeda] diminished in 2014, largely as a result of continued leadership losses suffered by the AQ core in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the report said. “AQ leadership also appeared to lose momentum as the self-styled leader of a global movement in the face of ISIL’s rapid expansion and proclamation of a Caliphate.”

In one particularly sensitive section, the report says Iran is still actively involved as a state sponsor of terrorism, an official designation that by law requires a number of sanctions. Next week, Secretary of State John F. Kerry is expected to go to Europe to continue the final stage of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

The report said Iran has continued support for radical Palestinian groups in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and various groups in Iraq, including a Shiite militia designated as a terrorist group. It also said Iran has sent help to the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, one of the two other countries currently designated as state sponsors of terrorism.

“In 2014, Iran continued to provide arms, financing, training, and the facilitation of primarily Iraqi Shia and Afghan fighters to support the Assad regime’s brutal crackdown that has resulted in the deaths of at least 191,000 people in Syria,” the report said, adding that some Iranian advisers are reported to have taken part in combat operations against Islamic State fighters.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/terrorists-were-a-lot-more-active-last-year-here-is-how-much-and-why/2015/06/19/dd58f0db-306e-4359-8d87-5ab58498c60f_story.html?hpid=z2

Terrorists were a lot more active last year. Here is how much and why.

Boko Haram and the Islamic State were cited as two of the main forces in the increasingly lethal incidents.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jun 20 at 2015 3:32 AM

2015-06-20T03:32:48-04:00

No. Anyone paying attention would have seen that.

Response by GySgt Jim Bishop made Jul 6 at 2015 10:24 AM

2015-07-06T10:24:35-04:00

I believe that the increase is due more to the fact that their world is closing in. Splinter groups may expand from areas we have already engaged and subdued. The problem is, we get moved on and allow for those to repopulate. In a previous post we were asked why should we defend what they aren't willing to defend; that's the problem, many times we do the work but don't have the support to hold it. As a third generation Marine, my father and grandfather has told me many times they had to go back and retake what they already took because it wasn't maintained by supposed support!