Lessons from Africa to Kurdistan in fighting terrorism

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has become a major threat to world stability, security and democracy. As ISIS expands, so does the real threat against the minority groups of the Middle East. This threat is more true and tangible for the numerous minorities that live in Kurdistan including Christians, Yezidis, and many others.

As ISIS consolidates its power and land grab in Syria and Iraq, numerous terrorist groups across the world have also moved to 'solidify' themselves by aligning with ISIS to increase their 'legitimacy', ranks and to garner media attention by pledging their allegiance and obedience to ISIS and its mysterious leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

While numerous offshoots of Al-Qaida-influenced groups continue to pledge their allegiance to ISIS across the world, the Kurds and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) must pay particular attention to those groups in Africa. The two that are most notorious and active on the African continent are Somalia's Al-Shabaab and Nigeria's Boko Haram. Both have constant military operations against host and neighbouring countries, murdering Muslim and non-Muslim civilians and as it appears, will stop at nothing to pursue their ideological, political and economical aspirations. Both Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram have sustained continuous operations against other multi-national military coalitions, namely African Union (AU) Forces backed by US air and logistical support in Somalia and Nigeria.

As the Peshmerga Forces of Kurdistan fight back against ISIS, the KRG must be looking for ways to solve this conflict practically, strategically and in a timely manner as prolonged conflict can devastate any economy. Realistically, neither the ground forces nor sustained allied coalition air support can combat these terrorist elements as the African experience has shown.

Moreover, when the African experience of dealing with terrorism is examined, one must ponder if Kurdistan's offensive and gains against ISIS are a temporary bandaid on an arterial bleed as this appears to be the case in Africa. The African experience has not seen any maintained long term success against eliminating these groups.

Although Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram are physically hundreds of kilometers apart, both (like ISIS) employ similar tactics including suicide bombings, mass killings, extortion and various other forms of intimations and murder which subsequently have resulted in millions displaced and hundreds killed.

While Al-Shabaab is situated inside Somalia and is actively combating the US-backed Somali government, it has been known to launch successful attacks against soft civilian targets inside Uganda and Kenya, where hundreds have been recently executed in cross-border excursions and hit and run tactics. Although AU Forces have gained back territory due to a large military offensive launched against Al-Shabaab—the group continues to see success in destabilizing Somalia and parts of Kenya.

Similarly, Boko Haram has also aligned itself with ISIS and is also responsible for numerous suicide attacks on civilian targets including churches, open markets, kidnapping and the subsequent slavery of hundreds of teenaged girls. More recently, neighbouring Cameroon has also been drawn into Nigeria's war with Boko Haram as it tries to limit the group’s cross-border activity.

It is imperative to note that all these groups resemble and emulate each other due to their strategy, ideology, approach and tactics in fighting, therefore, the KRG must pay particular attention to those terrorist events and tactics employed by these groups on the African continent and find ways of unravelling them before they materialize inside Southern Kurdistan.

In the case of Al-Shabaab, just over a year ago, they launched a devastating attack against Kenya's capital, Nairobi, in which they stormed a major shopping outlet in which they massacred nearly 70 people and caused a major blow to Kenya' stability and economy. Similarly, Boko Haram has killed hundreds in Church bombings and outdoor shopping bazaars.

While ISIS has been able to send car bombs into Southern Kurdistan's capital of Erbil, KRG's security apparatuses and private businesses inside Kurdistan should be taking note. Moreover, they should also be preparing and finding ways of supplementing security inside these places where civilians and foreigners are known to congregate to avoid the same catastrophic consequences that continue to undermine the security and prosperity of those countries.

Ala Jaff is a practicing police and security professional in Canada. He holds a Police Foundations diploma and a BA in Law and is currently working towards his Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, Governance and Police Science.