Al-Qaeda Groups Rises 50% in last 3 Years, Threatens US

Local Editor

International terrorist activity has increased by more than 50 percent over the past three years, with the growing number of extremists becoming increasingly vigilant and creating a greater threat to the US, according to a new report.

The report was published on Thursday by the Rand Corporation, a nonprofit think tank.

The report examined thousands of unclassified and declassified primary source documents, including public statements and internal memorandums of al-Qaeda and other extremist leaders. The study also includes a database of information such as the number of extremist groups, their approximate size and their activity - attacks, fatalities and other casualties.

"It's become a breeding ground for extremist activity," said Seth Jones, the author of the report and an associate director of Rand's International Security and Defense Policy Center. "Based on these threats, the United States cannot afford to withdraw or remain disengaged from key parts of North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia."

The report stated that Syrian militants have sought to convince the West to provide resources that would make it easier for militants on the ground to launch attacks in and around Syria.
The warning comes after an American militant carried out a suicide attack last week and US President Obama said in a speech to West Point military academy that the US would deepen its tie with the Syrian armed groups in the coming months.
Jones has advised the US and its allies to take a "more adaptive" approach to counterterrorism that uses increased diplomacy, Special Forces, and intelligence work "to conduct precision targeting of these groups and their financial, logistical and political support networks - where there is a high threat to the US and a low local government capacity."
Admitting that it is difficult to gauge exactly how many groups operate in unstable regions, the report has mentioned that extremist group membership jumped from between 12,945 and 47,810 in 2010 to between 45,510 and 105,510 in 2013.

Jones has said that the threat posed by these diverse groups varies widely. Some are locally focused and have shown little interest in attacking Western targets. Others, like al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, present an immediate threat to the US homeland, along with inspired individuals like the Tsarnaev brothers who perpetrated the April 2013 Boston bombings. Others threaten US interests overseas, but not the homeland.

In addition to high-level threats from Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the RAND study has concluded that there is a medium-level threat from terrorist groups operating in Somalia, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Nigeria and Algeria. And there is a low-level threat from militants groups operating in such countries as Tunisia, Mali and Morocco.
Jones has confirmed that the US should establish a more-adaptive counterterrorism strategy, pursuing engagement - the use of special operations, intelligence, diplomatic and other capacities to conduct precision targeting of these groups and their financial, logistical and political support networks - where there is a high threat to the US and a low local government capacity.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team