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The Russian subway bombing, which killed 14 people, was the worst terrorist attack in a major Russian city in years. The suspected bomber has been identified as Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, 22, a Russian citizen born in Kyrgyzstan.
It drew wide condemnation from Russia’s friends and foes. The UAE strongly condemned the terrorist bombings and expressed its full solidarity with Russia in its efforts to eliminate terrorism. The UN Security Council called the attack barbaric and condoled the death of innocent people who fell victim to the heinous act of terrorism. The council said that the perpetrators of these deplorable acts must be brought to justice. President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin to offer condolences over the bombing and his support for Russian people. He termed the blast absolutely a terrible thing. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that she and her colleagues received the news of the blast with a lot of apprehension. And Eiffel Tower went dark for Russia.
Russian authorities have detained six migrant workers hailing from different countries in connection with bombing. Given the fact that the suspected bomber was of Kyrgyz origin poses a new challenge for President Putin. The Russian strongman, who came to power in 2000, promised to eradicate terrorists from the country. Though he was successful in containing the home grown fundamentalists, the terror threat persists in Russia from militants radicalized by Chechnya separatist movement.
But the situation has become more grave after the rise of IS group. Moscow is aware that thousands of Russian-speakers from Russia and other Soviet republics have joined terrorist groups fighting in Syria. Putin vowed to finish them in Syria before the battle-hardened fighters return and stage attacks at home. But so far, Russian forces have targeted Syrian rebels only.
The Russian subway attack has once again brought into focus the true picture of threat posed by transnational terrorism. It has proved the war to defeat terror scourge will need concerted effort by all countries in the world.
Now terror has mutated. Russia has an estimated seventh-highest ratio of police officers to population. Still the terror perpetrators snuffed out innocent lives. Most of the recent terror attacks were carried out by lone wolves. It is more dangerous as it is difficult to be tracked by security services. And most of attackers were immigrants to the victim countries. They are radicalized by terror recruiters, who take advantage of their vulnerability and lack of identity into the new society. Traditional security measures are proving to be less effective in such cases. It just cannot guarantee much under the current circumstances. It is high time the international community stop chasing the terror symptoms without attacking the root of the problems. And so there is a need of a broader strategy to counter the spread of extremism at all levels. Terrorism is an evil that must be fought jointly.