For every new terrorist the US kills, new ones appear

 

 

Wolfgang Hansson 

 

Published: Today 18.06 

 

This is a commenting text. Analysis and positions are the writer's. 

 

COLUMNISTS 

 

Just as new gang criminals take the place of those shot and imprisoned in Sweden, new terrorists appear no matter how many the West kills. 

 

It shows how difficult it is to deal with the threat to the stability of societies that both organized crime and terrorism represent. 

 

The threat of terrorism is especially growing in Africa. 

 

When al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri stepped out onto his balcony in Kabul a few weeks ago, he had no idea he was lighting his last cigarette. A CIA-guided rocket tore him to pieces. 

 

Unsurprisingly, President Joe Biden touted it as a major vicory. Proof that the United States can guarantee the safety of its citizens even without having foreign troops stationed in countries where the threat of terrorism is especially great. 

 

But the United States has killed a large number of terrorist leaders within the Islamic State and al-Qaeda in recent years without the terrorist threat disappearing. 

 

The pattern is recognizable from the Sweden of the gang shootings. Every week or two, some gang criminal is killed in internal confrontations. At the same time, the police claim that in recent years more gang leaders have been locked up than ever before. 

 

Yet the shootings continue unabated just as acts of terrorism continue to plague the world. 

 

When a coalition of NATO countries led by the United States succeeded in defeating the Islamic State in 2017 and forcing the collapse of their caliphate in Syria/Iraq, it was seen as the death blow for the group just as the elimination of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was seen more than ten years ago as the end of the terrorist group. 

 

In both cases, it has turned out to be more wishful thinking than reality.

 

 

Ayman al-Zawahiri, left, and Osama bin Laden, right. Photo: Al-Jazeera / AP

 

Military coups destabilize 

 

Of course, the collapse of IS and the demise of bin Laden were severe setbacks for the Islamist terror and have weakened the groups, but both have survived and found new places to grow. 

 

Right now, Africa appears to be the continent where terrorism is increasing the most. 

 

The reasons are several. 

 

A number of military coups have destabilized countries in Southern Sahara. 

 

Even in Mali, where there are UN troops and other foreign forces to counter the terrorist threat, the crime has not decreased. On the contrary. 

 

The new military regime has opposed the presence of Western peacekeepers and troops. France and Germany have decided to leave and Sweden is one of the countries expected to make the same decision. 

 

The number of terrorist attacks is increasing and occurring more frequently near the capital, Bamako. 

 

When IS was defeated in Syria and Iraq, some of the IS fighters moved on to other unstable countries such as Libya, Chad and Burkina Faso.

 

In countries like Nigeria and Somalia where terror was already widespread, it has grown even more. 

 

Perfect recruiting base 

 

The young and rapidly growing population makes the still poor Africa a perfect recruiting base. When it is almost impossible to get a job, the terrorist groups' message of honor and a better society beckons. 

 

The South African terrorist expert Martin Ewi recently explained in the UN Security Council that IS is active in more than 20 African states which, according to him, represent "the future caliphate". 

 

At present, the groups' activities are concentrated in Africa and do not directly affect the Western world. It is in African countries that terrorist acts are mostly carried out. 

 

But when terror destabilizes more and more countries, areas will be formed where IS, al-Qaeda and similar groups control large territories where they can, for example, organize training camps for terrorists in the same way that Osama bin Laden did in Afghanistan. It was there that the planning for the attack on September 11, 2001 took place. New terrorist centers sooner or later also lead to terrorist acts directed at the West in Africa, Europe or the USA. 

 

Effective weapons 

 

Admittedly, it has become more difficult to carry out large, spectacular terrorist acts in the West in recent years, but IS has shown great creativity in developing new terror methods. How many security services realized ten years ago that trucks can be turned into effective terror weapons. 

 

I am not saying that it is wrong for the US and the rest of the West to try to eliminate the leaders of terrorist groups such as IS and al-Qaeda. But unfortunately, it is not so simple that just because a leader is killed, the terrorist group disappears or is weakened. 

 

The experiences of both gang crime and terrorism show how difficult they are to eradicate once they have taken hold. Even great resources are not a guarantee of success.