CROSS-BORDER TERRORISM
found its power reduced, this incredibly dangerous offshoot of Al Qaeda has carved enclaves of the country for itself.
For this Al Qaeda offshoot to have territory is no small threat. This group is considered the most dangerous organisation in the world by the CIA, it has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks and attempted attacks in the West, including the Charlie Hebdo massacre. We cannot allow such groups to thrive in Yemen, and prey on the people there.
Local terror, global threat In a clear example of this danger, the brothers responsible for the massacre at Charlie Hebdo in Paris, Saïd Kouachi and Chérif Kouachi, had received military training in Yemen by Al Qaeda. Despite the United States providing this information to the French authorities, and subsequent intelligence gathering in France, this did not prevent the brother’s from acquiring weapons on the black market, and using their training
to launch their vicious attack. What is also very concerning, is that these two individuals were on the US ‘no-fly list’. How then, did they both fly to Yemen to receive this training in the first place? Intelligence sharing between countries, particularly with regard to no-fly lists, needs to be practised more widely or we risk these individuals falling through the cracks. In this case, the brothers’ inclusion in a no-fly list was irrelevant, and they travelled to Yemen unabated. Such cases undermine all of our security. If one considers that 3,200 British passport holders travelled from the UK to Yemen last year, against all Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice, we should be working with Yemeni authorities to track these individuals, and establish why they are visiting in the first place. We can often forget the harm suffered by people in the countries these groups operate in. This is clear in the political crisis in Yemen, the mass-kidnappings by Boko Harem in Nigeria, and the stonings, torture and sexual
violence in Iraq and Syria. Take the recent Peshawar massacre. Nine gunmen affiliated with the Taliban attacked a school in Northern Pakistan. 145 people were killed, 132 of which were schoolchildren. All of the men were foreign nationals. This is one of the most horrifying acts one can imagine.
I can only hope we can play a role in stopping similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
Conclusion
The globalisation of terror groups, and their ability to project force, procure members and spread information across the globe, is an ever complicated and evolving challenge. We know the scope of the challenge and we know the danger that we face. Learning from past events and acting decisively to prevent further attacks is our first job. Tackling the problem at its root will be a longer process, but a vital one, against what is now the greatest threats to our way of life.
“The ‘dark web’ presents another new and hidden threat. This hidden part of the internet, estimated to be anything up to 500 times the size of the surface web, is used to buy weapons, drugs, fund
terrorism, spread training manuals for weapons and bomb making, and many other illicit purposes.”
The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue One | 25
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