Both symptoms and causes of terrorism require strong remedies

The ineffectiveness of efforts to curb major extremist groups such as the Islamic State, al-Qaida and the Taliban has also inflated the arrogance of terrorists.

Since the rise of the IS terrorist group in the Middle East in 2014, the world has witnessed a rising number of terrorist attacks elsewhere as it has exported its extremism and terrorism to other countries and regions. This in turn has highlighted the pressing need to rally greater political will around the global fight against terror and for more effective international cooperation.

Both the symptoms and the root causes of terrorism need to be addressed. No single remedy and no country alone can eradicate the soil in which extremism and terrorism grows.

It is necessary for countries to plug the loopholes in their national security and share intelligence with each other so as to curb the infiltration of extremists and terrorists.

It is crucial the international community jointly raise anti-terror awareness among the public and make concerted efforts to address social injustices, such as racial discrimination, income gaps and poverty, so as to eliminate the soil for homegrown terrorism.

Admittedly, the global campaign to contain terror through the use of force may only help address the symptoms of terrorism. Not to mention that the three major camps led by the United States, Russia and Saudi Arabia respectively are fighting isolated battles out of self-centered calculations.

Obviously, better coordination and a united front are needed so that the military operations against the IS group, in particular, can yield significant results soon.

But efforts also need to be made to revitalize the economies of conflict-ridden countries that have become hot-beds for extremism. The rest of the world should help these countries find a successful development model so that they can play their part in the war against terror.

The author is a senior writer with China Daily.

wanghui@chinadaily.com.cn