Fighting the tentacles of terrorism

Despite steady denial about the presence of terrorists linked with fundamentalist bodies, recent developments are unearthing all sorts of worms. In addition to the United States Department of State identifying 'Harkat ul-Jihad-I-Islami/Bangladesh's as a terrorist organization in their 'Patterns of Global Terrorism 2002 Report', the law and order forces in Bangladesh are also beginning to identify and locate extremist groups bent on creating chaos and confusion within the country. Arms and explosives are being discovered in large quantities. Members of various organizations and fringe groups are coming under careful scrutiny and several militants from the 'Jama'atul Mujahidin' have already been arrested. The malaise has finally been recognised, and that hopefully, will help to restore some degree of normalcy in the western parts of Bangladesh.

Terrorism is something that none of us can condone. It affects national potential and retards growth. Taking innocent lives, through the use of illegal arms is against the principles of justice and all norms of civilised conduct. No religion sanctions such drastic steps.

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Unfortunately, as yet, no one definition of terrorism has gained universal acceptance. Nevertheless, there is broad consensus about what construes as terrorism particularly in the international context. I will try to describe for the readership today the various steps being taken world-wide to contain this menace and what we may also do in this regard within our own country.

The United States, the principal agent in the world's fight against terror has chosen its definition as contained in Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f (d). That statute contains the following definitions: "the term 'terrorism' means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience." Similarly, 'international terrorism' has been defined to mean "terrorism involving citizens or the territory of more than one country." The US Departments of Justice and the State Department have also come to an agreed formulation with regard to the term 'terrorist group'. Groups are classified as such, if that group or any of its sub-groups practices international terrorism.

Apparently, the US government has been employing this definition of terrorism for statistical and analytical purposes since 1983. It is also within the scope of this Act that the US government has started designating groups as foreign terrorist organisations (FTOs) and the President has also signed executive order (EO) 13224, aiming to disrupt the financial support network for terrorists and terrorist organisations. Some of the groups have been included in both categories. Till to-date, the total number of groups designated under EO 13224 have risen to 250, and the total designated under the FTO to 36. The US administration has also designated some states as state sponsors of terrorism. This controversial list includes Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. Iraq was also included till recently. For obvious reasons, it does not include Israel, although it continues to flout international law, Security Council resolutions and carries out targeted assassinations.

I will now turn to some of the efforts that are underway throughout the world to counter terrorism. Even the United States understands and acknowledges that the war against terrorism has not come to an end with the defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Ba'athist regime in Iraq. It is with this end in view that they are attempting to sustain and enhance the political will of states to fight terrorism. This they are doing with the hope that others will also understand that continued efforts are in their long-term interests. The United States is also trying to bolster the capacity of all states to fight terrorism. This they are doing because they understand that the United States cannot investigate every lead, arrest every suspect, gather and analyse all the intelligence and effectively sanction every sponsor of terrorism. In short, they are trying to create a global system to fight the problem globally.

In this context, having spearheaded the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1373, the United States is also attempting to assist countries in meeting their obligations under this resolution.

It is also trying to strengthen the UN's counter-terrorism capabilities. This includes training on enforcing anti-money laundering laws, strengthening policing capability and tactical training programmes in counter-terrorism. Recent fatal events in Iraq have however demonstrated that unless there is clear coordination and precise assigning of responsibilities, gaps will be created and that will be exploited by terrorists.

Despite differences over Iraq, European nations have continued to work in close partnership with the US in the global counter-terrorism campaign. They are sharing intelligence information and working with the US on investigations of terrorist groups. They are also forging closer cooperative links with their neighbours. It is believed that this has disrupted planning for terrorist attacks, and led to the interception of funds destined for terrorist organisations. The European Union has also become deeply involved with both Russia and the OSCE in an effort to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation throughout the region. Russia, for understandable reasons have supported the steps for cooperation strongly. It has helped them to gain a measure of flexibility in dealing with the festering problem of Chechnya. In the name of shared values, various movements are being dealt with severely. Unfortunately, what is sometimes being forgotten is that effective counter-terrorism is impossible without respect for human rights. It is also sometimes being overlooked that the rule of law is a formidable and essential weapon in the fight against international terrorist organisations.

In the Middle East, at the urging of the USA and the EU, several Middle East governments have frozen alleged financial assets of terrorist groups, consistent with UN Security Council Resolutions 1267, 1373, 1390 and 1455. This has been done apparently to deny oxygen to the fire that keeps such groups alive. However, it has not been a plain sailing. Syria, while cooperating 'with the US government in investigating al-Qaida and some other organisations' has continued to support some of the organisations that are on the US terror list- Hizbollah, Hamas and the Palestine Islamic Jihad. The Syrians continue to assert that the activities of these groups constitute legitimate resistance. The Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia appear to be assisting in the war against terrorism. However, as has been seen recently, despite their 'positive steps,' disquiet about full support continues to exist in the minds of the US administration.

In East Asia, Philippines and Indonesia have been taking active steps and extending strong support and cooperation with other regional nations on counter-terrorism issues. They are also trying to bring perpetrators of bombings to justice. This has been partially possible because of foreign assistance towards improvement of counter-terrorism capabilities through training and assistance programmes and strengthening of existing legal and regulatory regimes. Malaysia has approved the concept of a regional counter-terrorism centre and has been supported in this regard by Thailand and Cambodia. Law enforcement centres and intelligence agencies in Singapore are openly cooperating with all the other countries within ASEAN. This, in turn, is generating confidence within this region.

While such intense diplomatic engagement to fight terrorism is taking place all over the world on a regional basis (including Latin America and Africa), this campaign continues to suffer within South Asia because of the differing interpretations of political will. Bilaterally, there is, to a degree, inter-active cooperation between South Asian countries and the USA. However, regional cooperation and sharing of intelligence as is being done elsewhere is more or less absent. This is not helping matters and not permitting law enforcement agencies to achieve objectives. One must not forget here that this region today is the home to several soft insurgencies -- the Tamil Elam movement in Sri Lanka, the Maoist terrorist attacks in Nepal, the continuous border skirmishes in Kashmir and rebel and other attacks in the North Eastern part of India. Bangladesh also has its problem with scattered bombs aimed at civilian targets. There exists in principle a SAARC agreement to combat terrorism, but this seems to have been relegated to the background.

Poor countries like Bangladesh cannot afford the luxury of taking a passive approach with regard to terrorism abroad and within its borders. If we do so, it will have a direct impact on our economic and social development. All our political parties must understand that terrorism has nothing to do with politics and religion. Supporting extreme groups of any kind through so called charity needs to end. Ours is a rural society where village elders and the Imams and priests in places of worship play a significant role. It is incumbent on the political parties to encourage them to speak out about respect for human rights and also against coercion and any form of extreme behaviour.

In addition, in the true spirit of South Asian cooperation, countries in this region should come together and fight the war against poverty instead of tacitly encouraging covert operations. With rule of law and sustained stability, we can generate confidence and credibility and subsequently expect greater infusion of foreign direct investment in this region. This will have its own beneficial multiplier effect.

Muhammad Zamir is a former Secretary and Ambassador.