India named severe threat

India named severe threat

India named severe threat

India, along with other adjoining South Asian countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, has been classified under the most extreme category of 'severe threats' on Terrorism Threat Map created by leading security consultancy firms for 2009.

The map, created by two security consultancy firms Aon and Janusian, shows global levels of terrorist activities which are identified by means of attacks, plots, communiques and government countermeasures. Southern Asia is becoming the global hub of terrorist activity as security measures have taken hold in the Middle East and reduced the number of attacks in that region, Aon Ltd said in its assessment of worldwide terrorism.

According to the Map released yesterday, the countries 'most afflicted' by terrorist incidents in 2008 were Pakistan, Iraq, India and Afghanistan. Aon's 2009 Terrorism Threat Map also shows a more settled outlook for North America, Europe and Australia. Canada and the US both classified under the middle category of 'elevated threats.' In each of these two North American countries, the types of terrorist groups were identified under icons labelled as 'Global Islamist' and 'Single Interest'.

An Aon representative quoted by Earth Times said that in the global economic climate, which emphasises the current disparities in the concentration of wealth, could give rise to a more traditional, class-based form of terrorist activity. In a global recession it is not inconceivable that a new generation of terrorists will emerge from disaffected communities in a re-emergence of class-based politics, Aon executive director Craig Preston told Earth Times.

This raises the prospect of new terrorist groups forming in the developed world on the far right and far left of the ideological spectrum, he said. With the election of a more liberal President in the US, it is possible we may see uplift in activity from domestic far right and militia groups.