Terror attack numbers soar by 25 per cent – with ISIS fanatics responsible for a third of the killings
GLOBAL terrorism is on the rise as the number of attacks soared by more than 25 per cent in the last year - with ISIS fanatics being responsible for a third, a report has today revealed.
Militants carried out 24,202 attacks worldwide with almost half of those taking place in Syria and Iraq, new research found.
More attacks took place in October than in any other month last year - with an average of 86 per day.
Figures from the annual Global Attack Index show Islamic State fighters accounted for almost 18 per cent of recorded attacks and 39 per cent of all non-militant fatalities in 2016.
The stats show the number of attacks is up on 2015, when 18,987 atrocities were recorded across the globe.
It comes as the international terror threat level in the UK remains at "severe", meaning an attack is "highly likely" according to MI5.
ISIS was the most operationally active terrorist organisation in 2016, as it was in the previous two years, tracked by the IHS's Jane’s Terrorism & Insurgency Centre (JTIC), which produced the figures.
The extremist group conducted 4,236 attacks, which resulted in 10,807 non-militant fatalities - 18 per cent of all recorded attacks worldwide.
RELATED STORIES
Figures also suggest ISIS killings outside of the Middle East are on the rise too - rising from eight per cent to sixteen per cent in 2016.
Matthew Henman, head of the JTIC, said: “In 2016, there was a notable rise in the number of attacks compared to 2015.
"We saw activity attributed to or claimed by Islamic State outside of the Middle East rise.
“These kinds of attacks account for 16 percent of all Islamic State attacks in 2016, but this is a marked increase from just 8 percent in 2015.”
He added that attacks such as those in Brussels and Berlin as well as the nightclub shooting in Florida were examples of those carried out by supporters in the West.
Mr Henman added: "Further such violence is increasingly likely through 2017 as the Islamic State tries to advance the victimhood and revenge narrative that has become increasingly prominent in the group’s response to territorial losses in Iraq and Syria."
The research group also looked forward to 2017 and the possible avenues ISIS might take next.
Senior analyst at JTIC, Otso Iho, said: “In southeast Asia, there is an increased likelihood that the Islamic State will declare an official wilaya or province in 2017.
“The Islamic State could use the declaration as a way to project its influence globally at a time when its fortunes in Iraq and Syria are waning.
"It will want to show the group can still play at a global stage even as territory losses escalate in its heartlands of Iraq and Syria.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368