Terror strikes as Europe pays the bill for safe havens

“Your dog’s flesh will eat you” is a European proverb that applies to the relationship between the West and terrorist elements, as the latter is a creation of Europe and America, but in the end the magic turned on the magician, and Europe is now suffering from the scourge of terrorism. 

Dark history of secret relationships

In his book “Secret Affairs”, Mark Curtis revealed the dark history of Britain's complicity with Islamist extremist and terrorist groups to control oil resources and overthrow governments, as it secretly supported terrorist groups in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, the Balkans, Syria and Indonesia, and where it allowed terrorist elements to settle in Britain, using the country as a base to launch attacks abroad.

The United Kingdom also participated in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to the dissolution of the Iraqi army, and its elements turned to terrorism and extremism, according to former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who confirmed that he was against the invasion of Iraq and his position proved correct as it led to the disintegration of Iraqi forces, with disgruntled soldiers and police officers taking to the streets and later forming the nucleus of al-Qaeda and then ISIS, as they saw terrorism as the only way to avenge their humiliation and the rape of their women.

The United States, which after World War II became the legitimate heir to the empire on which the sun does not set, followed Britain’s path. In 1985, US President Ronald Reagan embraced the Afghan Mujahideen and received a delegation of them at the White House, describing them as being like “the founding fathers of America,” lampooning his country's efforts to support them to defy the Soviet Union, eventually leading to the events of September 11, 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people.

The recent escalation of events in the Arab region has pushed young people in Europe to extremism. Many foreign fighters justify their use of violence by resenting the West’s interference and its crimes in the crises of the Arab region, such as Syria, the invasion of Iraq, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and others. This was confirmed by French philosopher Edgar Morin, who said that the crimes committed by the West are a major reason for the extremism of Muslim youth in the West, pushing thousands to join the ranks of ISIS and other terrorist groups. 

Tough times

As a result, Europe has lived through dark and difficult times in recent years, as it was exposed to many terrorist operations in the cities of France, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Finland, which left hundreds of victims, in addition to losses and other material damage, due to the operations of lone wolves, upon which ISIS relied, reproducing the style of the Taliban with the Russians in their long war in Afghanistan in the early 1980s, which developed into the establishment of terrorist organizations in the 1990s, until they reached their current form in Europe.

ISIS has exploited lone wolves in Europe’s large cities in a sophisticated manner by harnessing technology and using various social media sites to serve its goals. It has been clearly active in recent years, and the most prominent terrorist operations were the recurrence of run-downs and stabbing attacks, including the killing of three people and the injury of others in a knife attack inside a church in the city of Nice, just days after the beheading of a French teacher after the teacher showed caricatures insulting to the Prophet Muhammad (God bless him and grant him peace). In the Austrian capital Vienna, another attack occurred, which led to the killing of four civilians, in addition to the perpetrator, who declared that the Minister of the Interior was “one of the supporters of ISIS.” Other tragic attacks afflictnig humanity have also occurred throughout Europe in recent years.