Kuwait’s public prosecution has demanded the death penalty for 11 of 29 suspects charged over the suicide bombing of a Shia mosque last month. Al-Qabas, citing informed sources, said two of the suspects are currently fighting with the Islamic State jihadist group which claimed the attack. The June 26 bombing, carried out by a Saudi, was the bloodiest in Kuwait’s history and left 26 people killed and more than 200 wounded.Those charged are seven Kuwaitis, five Saudis, three Pakistanis, 13 stateless people known as bidoons, and another person at large whose identity is unknown.Twenty-four suspects are detained in Kuwait and the other five are to be tried in absentia, including two Saudi brothers who allegedly transported the explosives and are being held in Saudi Arabia.An IS-affiliated group calling itself Najd Province claimed the bombing and also said it carried out suicide attacks at two Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia in May.IS considers Shias to be heretics and has targeted them across the region. The identification of three Pakistanis undermine the positive perceptions of the ongoing military operations against terrorists and the Pakistani state’s renewed resolve to combat religious extremism in all its forms. Pakistan has unfortunately gained a reputation for exporting terrorism and for allowing militant organisations to become entrenched in the country, either due to security lapses or complicity. Movements of Pakistan-based militants outside the country should also be monitored. It is still not known whether the Kuwait authorities will ask for Pakistan’s assistance in this case but if it does, Pakistan should aid the investigation to the best of its abilities. The investigation of the June 29 attack reveals the trends and modus operandi of IS. The attack proves that IS does not respect national boundaries and that it has the ability to recruit people from various nationalities and backgrounds (the 29 suspects included Saudis, Kuwaitis, Pakistanis and stateless Bedouins). Even members of the Afghan Taliban are defecting to IS, as the group encroaches into Afghanistan and beats back the Taliban. The existing prevalence of extremist propaganda in Pakistan makes susceptible youth even more likely to be recruited as IS militants. Pakistan needs to wake up to the threat of IS, which is a far more organised and brutal terrorist organisation than any the world has ever seen before. The reach of IS across Asia and the Middle East has far-reaching consequences for the region and possibly the world.
pk.shafaqna.com
