Malian security forces are hunting for at least three suspects involved in an attack at a five-star hotel that killed 21 people in the heart of the capital, Bamako.A breakaway al-Qaeda faction from the country’s restive north claimed responsibility for the nine-hour hostage-taking siege that ended after special forces stormed the luxury hotel. “We are actively pursuing three suspects who might have been involved in Friday’s attack on the Radisson Blu hotel,” a Malian security official told the AFP news agency on Saturday. Mali was under a state of emergency and three days of mourning were announced by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who also clarified the death toll after Malian state television reported late on Friday that 27 were dead, along with three attackers. Friday’s assault on the Radisson Blu hotel was the latest in a series of deadly raids this year on high-profile targets in Mali, which has battled various rebel groups based in its desert north for years. The attack is a sharp setback for former colonial power France, which has stationed 3,500 troops in northern Mali to try to restore stability. Terrorist groups have become increasingly diverse and one of them, the Islamic State (IS), is rich, self-sustaining financially through oil revenues and taxation within the territories it holds, and has the capacity to launch chemical and biological attacks. ‘Franchising’ is a concept commonly associated with fast food chains and retail outlets, but it has grown rapidly in the world of terrorist groups. Both al Qaeda and the IS have affiliate groups that offer allegiance to them and operate under their flag, but do not necessarily have any direct operational linkage. Within Pakistan, there have been declarations of allegiance to the IS as well as al Qaeda by established Taliban groups, likewise the Taliban in Afghanistan. They share an ideology and seemingly have no shortage of funds. The IS would be pushing at an open door in Pakistan as evidenced by a recent Pew survey, and to deny an IS presence here is a dangerous delusion, but one clung to by our political leaders. Indeed, Pakistan is particularly vulnerable to entryism by the IS as swathes of the population are already radicalised. The attack in Mali is no one-off, neither the attacks in France. Terrorism is an interconnected beast of many parts. It is thriving in countries where the young in particular are feeling that they have missed the economic boat, are jobless and directionless, and see government as weak and corrupt. Sooner or later, the politics of denial is going to get a possibly bloody reality check in Pakistan.
pk.shafaqna.com
