PHL among top 10 countries that suffered most from terrorism in last decade

From GMANews (Dec 6): PHL among top 10 countries that suffered most from terrorism in last decade

The Philippines was among the top 10 countries most affected by terrorism over the past decade as global attacks increased markedly over the period, a US-based research firm said in a report. The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace measured direct and relative impact of terrorism in 158 countries in terms of actual incidents, and its effects on lives lost, injuries and property.

The Philippines placed 10th behind Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria, Thailand and Russia among countries that suffered the most from terrorism over the last decade, or in 2002-2011. Consequently, the same countries were also the top 10 nations where terrorism had the greatest impact last year. The GTI defines terrorism as "the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation."

In the Philippines, the GTI noted that businesses and the government were the likely targets for terrorists, with attacks coming mostly from "nationalist/separatist claims by people living in provinces in southern Philippines." "Terrorist acts are primarily carried out by the New People’s Army, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group. Although both communist and Islamic groups operate within those regions, their goals overlap significantly with both groups seeking increased autonomy," the report said. The highest number of deaths were recorded in 2003 at 212, while 120 were reportedly killed in 2011 alone. GTI noted that the worst incident was in February 2004 after the Abu Sayyaf group bombed a passenger ferry in Manila Bay an hour after it left the port. The attack killed 116 out of 899 passengers.

When asked whether the government sees an improvement of the situation in the coming years, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda quipped, "Don’t you think so?" Already, officials point to the framework agreement signed with the MILF as key to end the longstanding conflict in Mindanao. The agreement is the last step towards the official signing of a peace pact, that among others, will create a new political entity called Bangsamoro that will address flaws in the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. This optimism was shared globally, with the GTI noting that while attacks increased over the years, the global impact of terrorism has plateaued since 2007. "The overall global trend does give some hope for optimism as the steep increase in terrorist activity experienced from 2003 to 2007 has halted, however, the deteriorating situation in Syria and other future possible conflicts in the Middle East could reverse the situation," the report said.

The global impact of terrorism has increased significantly from 2002 to 2007, before falling to its 2006 levels, the report said. The survey results further noted that attacks are highly concentrated in a few places, with the 10 countries with the most incidents last year accounting 87% of total global incidents. About a third of fatalities within the decade were from terrorist activities in Iraq. The survey states that global incidents, fatalities and injuries are dominated by events in lower middle income countries -- not low income countries -- with 65% of incidents, 69% of fatalities and 73% of all injuries recorded in lower middle income countries. Only 20 countries did not suffer any terrorist activity over the past 20 years.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/285235/news/nation/phl-among-top-10-countries-that-suffered-most-from-terrorism-in-last-decade?ref=topstories