Catastrophe in Paris, life on a standstill

The deadly attacks in the French capital of Paris on Friday night by terrorists simultaneously hitting six different locations left 129 people dead and hundreds wounded with more than hundred in a critical condition.

The shootings and the bomb blasts took place at a concert hall, a major stadium, restaurants and bars almost at the same time. The suicide bombers wearing identical explosive vests detonated themselves amid the crowd killing innocent civilians. France has declared a state of emergency. It’s the second terrorist attack in the country after the bloodshed in Charlie Hebdo offices in January. The Islamic State claimed responsibility of the attacks in their statement revealing that a group of 8 people carried out the operations. While six of the attackers opened fire at the Stade de France stadium and then blowing themselves up, one was killed by the security forces. France, in a statement has announced that groups linked to Islamic State were responsible for the attacks. Of the terrorists killed, one was from France, while two were from Belgium. A Syrian passport was also found next to the body of one of three suicide bombers who struck near the stadium. Even though the names of the attackers are withheld, it’s believed that the assailants were migrants from West Asia who were joined by the European citizens. The Islamic State blamed France’s intervention in Syria to have provoked the attacks and issued warnings for other nations who followed the path of France. About 20 people were killed in the attacks on the office of Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical weekly newspaper which featured the cartoons of the prophet. Paris, one of the most secularist cities of the world, has evidently been turned into a major target of the terrorists. The latest attacks have shot up the anxiety of France and the other European nations who launched rigorous steps against terrorism after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January with the support of the international community.

In the wake of the escalating domestic conflicts in West Asia and the consequent influx of refugees into Europe, the Paris attacks are likely to have far-reaching consequences. With the role of IS revealed, the potential risks and dangers in providing shelter to the Syrian refugees are also being raised. When a few European nations turned their back towards the Syrian refugees, countries including France had accepted them following outcries from all sides and requests by the international community thereby lessening the crisis. The Paris attacks have enabled a few who came forward protesting against the refugees with their racial narrow-minded attitude, to achieve their goals. The Arab countries in West Asia and the world powers like the US and France have been standing with the opposition forces to overthrow the autocratic Bashar al Assad regime from power. The world powers launched armed attacks in Syria against the IS militants who have been rapidly advancing capturing large swathes of Iraq and Syria with their brutal modes of action. This according to the IS insurgents are what had prompted them to spread terrorism to the European countries. The attacks by the Islamic State on the other hand have helped Bashar in justifying his own authoritarian stand in Syria. The Paris attacks reiterate the failure of the global alliance in adopting strong and practical political moves rather than the military offensives. IS which struck down a Russian passenger jet in Egypt and carried out bomb blasts in Beirut has unleashed a catastrophe on Paris. Their advancement is most likely to accelerate in coming days. The western forces for decades have been active in the West Asian politics with vested interests contributing to the rise of new terrorist groups. The problem is grave and should be thoroughly analysed with the nations aiming to reach a fundamental solution rather than associating the issue with any particular region or society and resolving it. Military offensives don’t pave way to effective solutions. The earlier the ‘international community’ realizes that only strong political solutions would lead to peace and harmony in the world, the better it is for the world nations.