Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-Bangladesh is facing a greater risk of substantial terrorist activities in the coming years, said a report published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
The Sydney-based IEP published its annual report titled Global Terrorism Index-2014 showing that Bangladesh scoring 5.25 for year 2013, that places it at 23rd among 124 countries.
“At least 13 countries are facing a greater risk of substantial terrorist activity: Angola, Bangladesh, Burundi, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Iran, Israel, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Uganda,” said the GTI.
Iraq, where 6,362 died in 2,492 terror attacks last year, has topped the list scoring 10.
The international research body said Iraq has suffered most damage for terror and militancy and observed that the world not only witnessed intensified terror during last year but saw it spread as well.
A total 17,958 lost their lives to terror in 2013, 61 percent more than last year.
Nearly 10,000 terror attacks have taken place, 44 percent more than the previous figure.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh was among countries ‘not in conflict but at risk of higher level of terrorism’ because of ‘high level of political terror’ and ‘low levels of intergroup cohesion’.
Human rights violations, state-sanctioned killings, torture and political imprisonment fell under political terror, as measured by the Amnesty International and the US State Department, said the report, while defining intergroup cohesion as cooperation and respect between identity groups.
Bangladesh had been 57th among 162 countries in the index for 2012.
It witnessed widespread violence in 2013 during war crimes trials of top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and during opposition agitation before the 10th national election held in January, 2014.
The report by the Institution for Economics and Peace said extra-judicial killing, and lack of women’s political rights, intergroup cohesion besides political instability in Bangladesh raises the risk of increased terror activity.
A staggering 82 percent of all deaths from terror attacks have taken place in five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria. The Taliban, Boko Haram, ISIL, and al Qa’ida were responsible for the majority of these casualties.
The civil war in Syria which began in 2011 has caused the death toll to rise sharply last year, said Steve Killelea, founder and executive chairman of the non-profit think tank, in a statement.
The Syrian conflict, which spread to Iraq, was where terrorism was resurrected, he said.
“The most significant actions that can be taken are to reduce state-sponsored violence, reduce group grievances and hostilities, and improve effective and community-supported policing,” said Killelea.
The report also does not find any association between terrorism and poverty, levels of school attendance and most economic factors.
BBN/ANS/AD-18Nov14-2:00pm (BST)
