Telegraph View: Australian barracks plot signals fresh wave of terror
The apprehension in Melbourne yesterday of a cell of Islamist militants, who were planning to carry out a devastating attack against an Australian military barracks, has once again highlighted the global nature of the terror threat we face today. Australian security officials believe the cell, which is said to be linked to the radical Somalian militia group al-Shabaab ("The Youth"), was planning a Mumbai-style attack on Sydney's Holsworthy Barracks, intending to murder as many military personnel as possible before its members were killed.
Australia was specifically targeted because of its continued support for the war in Afghanistan, where its special forces have been particularly effective against al-Qaeda. Afghanistan, together with Pakistan, is the epicentre of the international effort to combat Islamist terrorism, and in recent months there have been encouraging signs that the Nato-led effort is finally developing a coherent strategy for dealing with the threat that region poses.
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But the fact that those detained in Australia originated from Somalia adds a worrying dimension to an already intractable problem. Like Afghanistan, Somalia is a largely ungoverned space, where the absence of effective government has allowed Islamist militants to flourish. Al-Shabaab, which has ties with al-Qaeda, has proved to be a particularly barbaric manifestation of the genre. In recent weeks, there have been reports of public beheadings, floggings, amputations and stonings.
Now, following the arrests in Australia, it appears that Somalia must – as outgoing Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown warned in this newspaper – be added to the list of countries that pose a significant threat to global security. If Somali-based terrorist groups can threaten Australia, then there is no limit to what they might do next. more..http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/5973523/Somalia-joins-the-threat-to-global-security.html
Australia was specifically targeted because of its continued support for the war in Afghanistan, where its special forces have been particularly effective against al-Qaeda. Afghanistan, together with Pakistan, is the epicentre of the international effort to combat Islamist terrorism, and in recent months there have been encouraging signs that the Nato-led effort is finally developing a coherent strategy for dealing with the threat that region poses.
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But the fact that those detained in Australia originated from Somalia adds a worrying dimension to an already intractable problem. Like Afghanistan, Somalia is a largely ungoverned space, where the absence of effective government has allowed Islamist militants to flourish. Al-Shabaab, which has ties with al-Qaeda, has proved to be a particularly barbaric manifestation of the genre. In recent weeks, there have been reports of public beheadings, floggings, amputations and stonings.
Now, following the arrests in Australia, it appears that Somalia must – as outgoing Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown warned in this newspaper – be added to the list of countries that pose a significant threat to global security. If Somali-based terrorist groups can threaten Australia, then there is no limit to what they might do next. more..http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/5973523/Somalia-joins-the-threat-to-global-security.html
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