Global 'terror' deaths up by 61 per cent: Study

London, Nov 18: The number of people killed globally in terrorist attacks jumped by 61 per cent in 2013, reflecting the rise of Boko Haram and Islamic State jihadists, the Institute for Economics and Peace said today. In its 2014 Global Terrorism Index launched in London, the Australian based research group reported there were almost 10,000 terrorist attacks in 2013, a 44 per cent increase on 2012.

These attacks resulted in 17,958 fatalities, up from 11,133 in 2012, with over 80 per cent of the deaths occurring in just five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria. Iraq was found to be the country most affected by terrorism, recording a 164 per cent rise in fatalities, to 6,362, with IS responsible for most of the deaths.

Four groups: IS, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and the Taliban were blamed for 66 per cent of all fatalities. But the report found that attacks had also increased in the rest of the world, with fatalities rising by half the previous figure, to 3,236 in 2013. A total of 60 countries recorded deaths from terrorist attacks last year. "Since we first launched the GTI in 2012, we've seen a significant and worrying increase in worldwide incidences of terrorism," said Steve Killelea, Executive Chairman of IEP. "Over the last decade the increase in terrorism has been linked to radical Islamic groups whose violent theologies have been broadly taught.

To counteract these influences, moderate forms of Sunni theologies need to be championed by Sunni Muslim nations," he added. Killelea urged leaders to reduce state-sponsored violence, reduce group grievances and improve community-supported policing to reduce the threat.

The report highlighted Angola, Bangladesh, Burundi, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Iran, Israel, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Uganda as countries at increased risk from terror attacks. Despite the global spike, the report stressed that the risk to westerners remained slim. According to its figures, a person in Britain was 188 times more likely to be victim of a murder, and in the US 64 times more likely.

PTI