This is apropos a Business Recorder news item '34 groups now allied to IS: UN chief' carried by the newspaper on last Sunday. It has quoted the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as saying that thirty-four militant groups from around the world have reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State extremist group as of mid-December and that number will only grow in 2016.
In his report, Ban has said UN member states should also prepare for an increase in attacks by IS associated groups from countries, such as the Philippines, Uzbekistan, Libya and Nigeria, travelling to nations. "The recent expansion of the ISIL sphere of influence across west and north Africa, the Middle East and south and south-east Asia demonstrates the speed and scale at which the gravity of the threat has evolved in just 18 months," Ban is quoted as saying.
That the revelation made by none other than the UN Secretary General is highly disturbing for the world in general and the Muslim world in particular. The lawlessness in the Middle East has already resulted in the killing of over 250,000 people in Syria alone. In the cases of both Iraq and Syria, it is not only Daesh or ISIL that has wrecked havoc; the governments in these two countries too are equally responsible for the deaths and destruction. The West, however, is not willing to accept the fact that the Paris attacks are a result of France's policies in relation to the Middle East and North Africa. How can Europe go scot-free after fomenting unrest and promoting anarchy in the Near East. The two countries that can play the most important role in easing tensions in the region are Saudi Arabia and Iran. Both Riyadh and Tehran are therefore required to play an effective and meaningful role towards creating greater peace in the region without any further loss of time.