St Petersburg bombing

We deplore in the strongest possible terms the ghastly attack on a subway train in St Petersburg that has claimed 14 innocent lives. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have been murdered in this cowardly act of terror. The recent attack in Russia has come hot on the heels of another senseless attack in London last month. Both of them bore the hallmarks of lone wolf operations, that show that terrorists without any organic link with any terror outfit is capable of inflicting great damage by easily penetrating into the heart of modern cities and its key point installations. 

Faced with this new mode of perpetrating attacks, no country can now enjoy the luxury of feeling out of reach of the terrorists. While this calls for a battle that must be fought with determination, we must remind the countries and state actors of cutting across the political and ideological divide to eradicate this menace. 

As these acts cannot be foretold, the emphasis needs to be put on human intelligence and quick response in case of exigencies. At the same time, security needs to be tightened. Also, the importance has to be put on assimilating the Muslim populations in the respective countries, especially where people of this faith belong to the minority. It has been witnessed that witch-hunt and alienation further breeds a sense of deprivation, which the terrorists use to rope in unsuspecting Muslims. This after all is a battle of hearts and minds, one which we cannot afford to lose.