22 August 2014

Editorial: Australia’s Fight Against Islamic Extremists

Image: Jamie Kennedy via Flickr

By Kevin Placek

The government is stepping up efforts to deal with both domestic threats and Australian extremists active abroad.

What is the number one security threat currently facing Australia? According to a growing chorus of political leaders and government officials, the answer is the rapidly escalating threat posed by Islamic extremism. Having contributed troops and fought in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this shouldn’t come entirely as a surprise. Australia, like most Western nations, has long accepted the possibility that a terrorist attack by violent extremists could take place within its own borders, whether in reaction to the government’s policy abroad or in ideological opposition to the liberal values underpinning Western society. Recent events, however, have shifted the focus.
The threat of home-grown terrorism and the growing reality of Australians engaging in terrorist activities abroad is becoming a much greater security concern. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) estimates that around 150 Australians are currently engaged with extremist groups in Syria and Iraq. In a recent speech, ASIO Director General David Irvine pointed out that most of them have become involved “either by travelling to the region, attempting to travel or supporting groups there from Australia.” While this isn’t the first time Australians have been involved in jihadist conflicts, Irvine warned that the number of Australians taking part in these conflicts is “unprecedented.”
That sentiment is widely shared within the security establishment. Peter Leahy, a former Chief of the Army, recently told The Weekend Australian that Australia is involved in a century-long war against radical Islam. “We must be ready to protect ourselves and, where necessary, act pre-emptively to neutralise the evident threat,” he warned. What was once seen as primarily an external threat – the “home-grown lone wolf or small extremist cells” in Irvine’s words – has become a much more domestic affair with Australians supporting groups in Iraq and Syria from home through social media and other means as well as fighting overseas. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat