Analysis

The Global Terrorism Index: Daesh tops the list of deadliest terror groups

Friday 07/December/2018 - 04:52 PM

Nahla Abdulmoniam

The Global Terrorism Index 2018 The Global Terrorism Index 2018 recorded 18.814 deaths as a result of extreme attacks in different parts of the world during 2017.

Despite the high death toll, it represents a 27% decline from 2016, and this year marks the third year respectively, which has a low mortality rate compared with its peak in 2014, coinciding with the emergence of Daesh.

The Global Terrorism Index 2018 showed the decline was most pronounced in Iraq and Syria. Daesh tops the list of deadliest terror groups.

For the third consecutive year, deaths caused by terrorism are down globally, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2018 report published by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

"The total number of deaths fell by 27 percent between 2016 and 2017, with the largest falls occurring in Iraq and Syria," the report said.

However, despite both Middle East countries seeing the biggest improvement in sheer numbers, they still ranked in the top three countries most impacted by terrorism.

In total, Iraq recorded more than 5,000 fewer deaths as a result of terrorism last year, while Syria had more than 1,000 fewer compared to 2016.

Fall of Daesh

The military defeat of Daesh in Iraq and Syria resulted in the significant drop in terrorism-related deaths in the Middle East as well as in Europe.

Despite its reduced capacity, Daesh remained the deadliest terrorist group globally in 2017."

The Institute for Economics and Peace considered the terrorist incident that targeted al-Rawda mosque in Bir al-Abd area in al-Arish in northern Sinai, which took place on November 24, 2017, which killed 311 people from the most violent and brutal incidents of the past year.

The October 2001 incident near a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, which killed some 587 people carried out by Al Shabaab, joined the list of the deadliest attacks in 2017.

Europe sees biggest improvement

In Europe, the number of deaths fell by 75 percent. “Europe was the region with the biggest improvement, and recorded a marked fall in terrorist activity, despite the threat of returnees and online radicalization” the report said.

In western Europe, the number of deaths fell from 168 in 2016 to 81 in 2017. The most significant decline was noted in Germany, Turkey, France and Belgium. The UK, Sweden, Finland, Spain and Austria saw numbers rise.

However, the number of terrorist incidents went up in Europe, from 253 to 282 in 2017.

The Global Terrorism Index is published annually and analyzes the impact of terrorism on 163 countries. It defines terrorism as "the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious or social goal through fear, coercion or intimidation."

The Index found that that the total global economic impact of terrorism measured in around $52 billion, though that represented a 42 percent decrease compared to 2016. The reported pointed out that the figures are conservative, however, as they did not account for the indirect impact on business, investment and the costs associated with security agencies.