NEARLY two weeks ago, Sri Lanka was under siege following coordinated terrorist attacks on churches and hotels.
Terrorists are elusive by intent. They are unpredictable and dangerous. They will find the means to execute their mission in any way.
United States intelligence agencies said more terrorist attacks could happen there.
An alarming development is how terrorist groups are reverting to conventional methods like suicide bombings and the detonation of explosives.
Until recently, the trend was for terrorist groups to use unconventional methods, such as using vehicles and knives, to terrorise civilians.
That changed with the attacks in Sri Lanka.
The defeat of the Islamic State group has driven terrorist groups to keep their momentum by “forcing” supporters to launch attacks in any part of the world.
While the intelligence appears to focus on their unconventional methods of attack, these terror groups have reverted to conventional methods of attack by using suicide bombers.
For intelligence agencies, there is no joy in the defeat of IS.
The group can still inspire its fighters.
The Sri Lanka attacks may kick off a domino effect.
The face of terror has changed. Most terrorists operate as lone wolves or are part of sleeper cells.
They use social media to encrypt communications between themselves without attracting the attention of intelligence agencies.
Political leaders cannot be complacent or confident about their intelligence and security agencies in tackling terrorism because terrorists evolve all the time.
No religion justifies the killing of innocents.
All religions preach peace and love for mankind.
Therefore, governments are duty bound to protect citizens rather than weighing the rights of terrorists who have contempt for the peace and security of their countries.
R. PANEIR SELVAM
Senior lecturer, HELP University