Homeland Security

Countries Adopting Double Standards to Tackle Terrorism
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Issue Net Edition | Date : 14 Jan , 2016

Terrorism in the world can not be defeated till the time we have countries adopting double standards. Double standard, wherein there is a huge difference in official statement and actual execution. A case in point is Turkey, which is likely to be part of EU soon but found supporting ISIS in various fields like giving access to weapons, funding or providing members with fake passport so that they can travel abroad and carryout nefarious act of terrorism.

It was Turkey and such other Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia that played a key role in facilitating ISIS’s oil trade. Arguably, Turkey has facilitated over $1 billion worth of black market ISIS oil sales to date.

It is almost confirmed that Turkey, a longstanding member of NATO, is not just supporting ISIS but also other jihadist groups, including Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria.

Researchers have long been wondering about the source of income of this richest terror group in the world called ISIS, but now slowly and gradually facts are tumbling out of the basket. It was Turkey and such other Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia that played a key role in facilitating ISIS’s oil trade. Arguably, Turkey has facilitated over $1 billion worth of black market ISIS oil sales to date.

Russians have nailed Turkey and such nations for its purported double-game in the region. Strangely enough, the Western powers ignore much of the evidence presented. Instead, Turkey has been amply rewarded for its alliance with the very same terror-state that wrought the Paris massacre on November 13, 2015. Just a month earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered to fast-track Turkey’s bid to join the EU, permitting visa-free travel to Europe for Turks.

The shooting down of Russians fighter plane Su-24, by Turkey is yet another evidence that there are countries like Turkey who don’t want ISIS and other similar terror groups eliminated. According to Ankara, the Russian aircraft was warned ten times about entering Turkish airspace, though Moscow says there was no such warning or communication. But Turkey also said that alleged violation was only for seventeen seconds. Even on hindsight if one accepts Turkey’s claim of Violation by Russian SU-24, still it puts Turkey’s intent under suspicion as it was well known that the plane was meant for operation against ISIS.ISIS, in other words, is state-sponsored; indeed, sponsored by purportedly Western-friendly regimes in the Muslim world, like Saudi Arabia.

Till the time there is selective approach of handling terror groups, this menace cannot be defeated.

It would be naive to believe that Washington and other western policymakers are not aware of the facts on the ground. However, they are not interested in cracking down on these Muslim regimes as they have been suiting their interest.

There is also a double standard when it comes to the global coverage of terrorism. Minutes after the Paris attacks, Presidents Hollande and Obama addressed the world, publicly lamenting the tragedy. Notable was the official silence surrounding another horrific terrorist attack that took place only the day before in Beirut which killed at least 43 people and wounded more than 230 on November 12. There were also terrorist attacks in Nigeria involving Boko Haram in 2015, with over 2000 deaths. Neither of these incidents have caused the same level of public sympathy or global news coverage as the Paris attacks. Does it imply that the life in West is more important than one in Asia or Africa?

There can never be ‘good or bad terrorist organisation’ like the so called good Taliban or bad Taliban as propagated by US and Pakistan. Till the time there is selective approach of handling terror groups, this menace cannot be defeated. It’s high time that west understands this, and act in unison before it is too late.

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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

Adarsh Singh

likes writing on Concurrent Issues. He can be reached on adarshsingh476@gmail.com

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