This past Saturday, Metrojet flight 9268 crashed in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt after breaking apart in midair. The crash killed all
224 people who were on board. It was departing from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt and
it was bound towards St. Petersburg, Russia. British intelligence tells us that
crash was most likely caused by an explosive device and now U.S. intelligence
suggests that a bomb planted by ISIS was on board. The conclusion that it was a
bomb planted by ISIS was based on monitoring of internal communications within
the terrorist group. Furthermore, military officers have said that a satellite
recording showed a large flash of light just as the Russian jet broke apart
before it crashed. This could have been a bomb, or the ignition of a fuel tank.
There
is still debate to whether the crash was due to mechanical failure, human error
or terrorism. Russian citizens specifically have written off the possibility of
the crash being a terrorist act. President Abdel Fattah el Sisi of Egypt also
has tried to dismiss the possibility of this crash being due to Islamic
terrorism.
There
is a new audio claim that has been released on social media by the Islamic
State affiliate and it says to “Tell us
what you found in your investigation, show us your expertise and prove, if you
can, that it wasn’t us who took the plane down or how it fell”. The speaker did
say that it was due to his group that the plane crashed. He said that they made
it crash with “God’s grace”. The source of the audio has not been specifically
identified but it had the Sinai Province (an affiliate of ISIS in Egypt) logo
on it.
Whether
the crash was the doing of the Sinai Province or not, the terrorist group wants
to make a statement by claiming that it has crashed a civilian filled plane. It
is a dangerous world that we live in, and we should take precaution to protect
ourselves. There is a possibility that this was an act of terror, due to its explosion in the air and investigation by the British and U.S. governments.
What do you make of all of this? Is
there a possibility that it was due to terrorism? What sort of statement is the
terrorist group making by claiming that it caused the crash? What sort of
response should the United States have to this issue? Should the United States take more
precaution? If it is proven that it was ISIS that planted the bomb, what will
Russia do about it?
9 comments:
I do think this is an act of terrorism because although it is possible that the plane crashed in such a way where it was completely obliterated and no one on board survived. But it is highly unlikely to me that this could happen because usually in these situations there are some survivors or the plane broke up on the ground. But the fact that it split in the air and all of the evidence surrounding the event, it is hard to leave out the possibility of a terrorist attack. If you have been following the news over the past year it is clear that ISIS has been growing more and more and are starting to take action in presenting their power to the world. This is a trend for terrorist groups to perform isolated events away from all of the major concentrated conflict. In addition, a popular target for terrorist attacks is on airplanes and other forms of public transportation. For example a few months ago two men apprehended a suspected terrorist on a train in Europe. In addition to that there was 9/11 and many other isolated incidents. Being that ISIS is seemingly more organized and intelligent than terrorist organizations of past, I believe there is little doubt that they were the ones responsible for this act. Lastly I believe that this should be a wake up call to the U.S, Russia, and other powerful countries in the world because an event like this is meant to scare the larger population. I think that the U.S needs to further investigate the issue and keep a close eye on public transportation security.
In the recent news that has been released regarding the crash of flight 9268, it seems that the crash was evidently caused by a bomb planted by ISIS. ISIS has officially become the most notorious terrorist group, becoming the first terrorists to bring down a plane as an act of terrorism since 9/11. Furthermore, if there was a video released with a ISIS affiliate stating “Tell us what you found in your investigation, show us your expertise and prove, if you can, that it wasn’t us who took the plane down or how it fell”. Not only that, but the speaker did say that it was due to his group that the plane crashed. This is clear evidence ISIS brought down the plane and the fact that Russian citizens and the President of Egypt deny that the crash was due to a bomb. To answer the second question, ISIS has undeniably been gaining momentum in their campaign and this act of terror was a statement to the world and maybe particular to the U.S., that they should not be taken lightly. I think this act probably has American officials on red alert. ISIS specifically targets American and British reporters, and refugees. I definitely think that the NSA is a little more paranoid than usual. I think Russia actually knows it was ISIS but they probably don't want any issues with the group so they are just pretending like the plane crashed. To most countries in Europe, ISIS is a very real threat and I think Russia is smart enough not to try and jeopardize their countries safety over this particular event, mainly because this attack wasn't necessarily targeting Russia specifically.
I believe that you could argue either way. I say this because until any government has hard cold evidence, we can't jump to conclusions. On the other hand, many of the articles reporting this incident either says that "a country has intel" or "a country's government has a strong inclination that there was a bomb on the plane". For example, according to a CNN report, ISIS's militant branch that is located in the Sinai Peninsula released an audio message that says "We downed it, so die in your rage". This helps support the claim that ISIS may have planted a bomb on the plane, yet until the information from the black box is retrieved, we must leave all possibilities on the table still. Through out years, terrorist groups make their presence known by committing inhumane acts of terror on others, then a day or so later claiming that they were behind it. I think that if ISIS were to say that the planted the bomb on the plane it would happen in a day or two. This event shows that sometimes when a bad thing happens, like a plane crash or a shooting in a civil place, we jump to the conclusion that terrorism was behind it. This only increases the morale of the terrorist group and when we fear the terrorists it makes them feel stronger and more powerful, so they go out and commit more heinous acts. I think the U.S. should be prepared and cautious, but not to the extent where we live in constant fear of them because it will only make them feel stronger and as a result try to use our fear to manipulate the way we live in a way to gain an advantage over us. However, I believe that if ISIS does claim that they did this, Russia won't do much to respond to this incident because the Russian government is too busy with trying to conquer Ukraine and Crimea. In addition, through out history Russia is known for being focused and determined to achieve a goal, even when sometime bad happens. Basically, from the time Russia was a country most of leaders were brute and forceful leaders that only cared about achieving goals and not worrying about other things.
In an article published by the BBC an hour ago, David Cameron (the British Prime Minister), said that the plane was "more likely than not" to be the result of a terrorist attack. The White House, too, has information that supports the British contention that this was an attack and not simply an accident. I think the fact that the British government are going to such great lengths to protect British citizens returning from Egypt in the days since the crash also points to what the previous two commenters said: this is the doing of ISIS or an affiliated group. Unfortunately, the British statement has come at an awful time for Anglo-Egyptian relations, as it was released the same day that the Egyptian President arrived for his first visit to London since he has been in office.
In Russia, politicians (and by extension the media) have been heavily downplaying the possibility of the crash being a terrorist attack. They are saying that Britain's statement was motivated by an opposition to Russia's involvement in the Syrian crisis, rather than by truth.
I believe that Islamic militants taking ownership of the plane crash is extremely significant because of who was aboard the plane. Primarily Russians died in the crash, as it was a Russian plane. Russia has recently intervened in Syria and it has been extremely controversial (typical of Putin's administration). Many believe that Russia is intervening simply to protect their own interests and that their targets have been a bit confusing--though they have stated that they target the militant groups, many have reported that Russian airstrikes have been killing indiscriminately with an especially large proportion of civilian deaths.
I think this possible attack has all Western powers on edge. Britain has already taken great measures to ensure that their citizens do not suffer the same fate as the poor Russians. The US should act accordingly. ISIS is a very dangerous group and has proven its ability to inflict a massive amount of harm. Russia, Great Britain, and the US should all tread carefully.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34732213
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/27/world/russia-syria-involvement/
When our country was attacked by Islamic terrorists on September 11, 2001 it shook our country and altered the way our lives were lived forever. Not only are events like these tragic, but they also represent the potential dangers that the whole world is up against due to the rising of terrorist threats. Although I should not make assumptions, it is reasonable to infer that this event was an act of terrorism because the Islamic state official stated that that plane was taken down by “gods grace”. Not only is this group's statement shocking, but it also proves their belief in that God has a plan for their violence and that they do these thing in response to their religious demands. I do not believe there is a specific response the United States should have in regards to this issue however it is important that everyone is aware of these events because as I said before, the terrorist threat is ever increasing. Security is implemented everywhere from airports to schools and other public places.Terrorist groups greatest intention are to instill fear. If the United States shows any effort in taking even greater caution than we do today it gives more motivation and reason to terrorist groups to believe that we have fallen under the fear of their violence and power. If Russia proves that ISIS in fact planted a bomb on the plane this could potentially give Russia reason to wage war. This will certainly provide Russia with motive to backfire at ISIS and ultimately this event has potential to catalyze and even greater issue.
While the current evidence of the Russian plane crash points to terrorism, it is important not to jump to any conclusions. I don't think that the audio claim is enough evidence to confirm that it was terrorism, because it is possible that they want to take responsibility in order to increase their fear-factor. If this is true, that the crash was an act of ISIS or Sinai Province as cited by Athena, this would be an extreme escalation in the war on terror. Up until now, civilian attacks by terrorist groups have been limited, however, this tragedy would be classified as attacking a civilian target opposed to earlier military actions focused on expanding the caliphate. The attack on a civilian target abroad expands the threat of a future attack on a U.S. civilian target such as an airline jet. With Obama recently deploying soldiers to Syria and halting the withdrawal of soldiers from Afghanistan, the White House will be forced to continue to evaluate its foreign policy in the Middle East and what to do about homeland security with an increased threat. I think it will be interesting to see how this potentially increased terror threat will influence the 2016 Presidential Election. Republican candidates especially have been quick to criticize all aspects of the Obama administration. I'm sure that this issue will be no different, and it will be a hot topic in upcoming debates in regard to the candidates' foreign policy. Candidates such as Lindsey Graham and Jeb Bush have previously criticized Obama's strategy with dealing with ISIS, claiming that he severely underestimated them and continues to fail when strategizing. While I don't think we should take significant military action just yet, I do think that it is important to take extra precaution in terms of homeland security, as you can never be too careful, especially with the prospect of an increased threat on civilians. I also think it will be interesting how Russia responds and how that will impact their relationship with the White House. If they acknowledge the attack as one of terrorism, they may grow closer to the U.S. in that ISIS is a common major enemy. It is also interesting that as Russia has become more involved in the Syria conflict, propping up Al-Assad, they received this backlash. This may make pro-intervention politicians in Washington a little more skeptical of implementing more U.S. military operations in the Middle East.
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/05/politics/russian-jet-sinai-isis-obama/index.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/06/world/europe/cameron-sisi-sinai-crash.html?_r=0
This is a huge issue and to downplay it is an act of complete ignorance. This marks the first time a terrorist group has brought down a plane since 9/11, think about that. As much as we don't want to jump to conclusions, the facts are all coming into play. The plane experienced a sudden rupture in the air, and plummeted to the earth at 29,000 feet per second. On top of that many of the passengers were found with shards of metal inside them consistent with the injuries of an explosion. Likely the result of a barometric pressure device, Isis is now taking responsibility for the attack. Not only is this is a huge issue for the middle east, it is a huge issue for all of us considering we did not take isis seriously up until this point. To me the scariest part about this situation is that the bomb was likely planted by someone working in the airport, someone who had access to the planes. Who's to say the same situation cannot happen in america? We have seen it before, just last year a few runway workers were arrested for their ties to isis. Perhaps even more aggravating than that is that is this incident is indeed an act of terrorism, that means all of the TSA's precautions, all of the security checks we go through, all of it is useless. The issue in this instance was not in the passengers, but in the airport employees themselves.
I think that the possibility of terrorist involvement is high. ISIS and other terrorist groups of the Middle East have been attacking globally, and in the past decade, the number of attacks has been rapidly increasing to the point where terrorist is turning into a national security issue in more countries. There has been so much going on in the Middle East over the past few years and the involvement of terrorist group ISIS has only increased over time. The statement that the terrorist group is making by claiming that it caused the crash is just trying to instill fear among the people. They are trying to gain hold of more power by using fear as a channel to tell the people of their powers, even if they didn’t cause the crash, it still makes them more of a fearful group. The United States should respond to this issue with increased security and a plan to stop further attacks and the growth of the organization while trying not interfere too much or get stick our noses where they shouldn’t be. The US should take more precautions because the attacks aren’t going to stop, the organization and ISIS is unfortunately growing and that means we cannot our nation’s guard down. If it is proven that ISIS planted the bomb, then Russia will likely respond violently to ISIS and without hesitation to declare war for their actions against Russian people and property.
Like Annie said, I think that the possibility of terrorism is really more than just a possibility at this point. At this point in time, it really is more fact than fantasy. Earlier evidence from this month about how the plane that went down over Ukraine was shot by the Russians combined with this emerging story cement in my mind Russia's malicious attitude all over the globe. Although I think that it may have been possible that ISIS or other militant groups may have been behind it, I think that these groups would have admitted to it for the radical media attention. It is unclear how the U.S. should respond to these issues, and it is certainly a contentious point in the election. I do not think a no-fly zone or military action will in any way help the issue of unsafe flight and terrorism in the region; on the contrary, I think that increasing military presence in the region will only increase violence. Instead, I agree with the politicians in favor of diplomatic action in the region. Sander, Paul, and Kasich all are proponents or cooperative action in the region to control the violence and rampant radicalism, which I think is far preferable to direct intervention.
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