Terror attacks, deaths up sharply in 2014: State Department

[bemildred]

Source: Reuters

Terrorist attacks worldwide surged by more than a third and fatalities soared by 81 percent in 2014, a year that also saw Islamic State eclipse al Qaeda as the leading jihadist militant group, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.

In its annual report on terrorism, the department also charts an unprecedented flow of foreign fighters to Syria, often lured by Islamic State's use of social media and drawn from diverse social backgrounds.

Taken together, the trends point to a sobering challenge from militant groups worldwide to the United States and its allies despite severe blows inflicted on al Qaeda, author of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in Washington and New York.

Al Qaeda's leaders "appeared to lose momentum as the self-styled leader of a global movement in the face of ISIL's rapid expansion and proclamation of a Caliphate," the report said, using an alternate acronym for Islamic State.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/19/us-usa-terrorism-idUSKBN0OZ1S820150619

[Maedhros]

1. So everyone remember to cower in fear when prompted, okay?

Makes surrendering our civil rights easier for everyone involved.

[bemildred]

2. It doesn't sound to me like we are winning yet.

But yeah, I know what you mean too.

[Maedhros]

4. "Terrorism" is so loosely defined.

It means little more than "things the U.S. Government doesn't like." So when they say that "terror attacks" are on the increase, all they are really saying is that there is violence being perpetrated by people we disagree with - as opposed to the violence perpetrated by people we do agree with, like Israel. That's perfectly okay.

It's all calculated to manipulate us.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. duct tape check, anyone?