ISIS attack kills 35 people
ISIS terrorists bombed two sites in Brussels, Belgium March 22, killing 35 people and wounding 300.
Three coordinated suicide bombings occurred that morning: two at 8:00 in Brussels Airport in Zaventem, and one an hour later in Maalbeek metro station, according to CNN. These incidents comprised the deadliest act of terrorism in Belgium’s history.
The aggressions follow the capture in Brussels of Salah Abdeslam, an organizer of the November terror attacks in Paris that targeted cafes, restaurants, a concert hall and a stadium, killing 130 people and injuring more than 350, according to CNN. Belgian officials believe that terrorists attacked Brussels specifically as a form of retaliation for Abdeslam’s arrest. Of the five suspects involved in the bombings, three are dead, one remains unidentified and one has still not be found. Authorities are still pursuing the latter two terrorists.
“It truly breaks my heart to see so many lives affected by these tragedies, which is why I hope that the world governments will find the terrorists responsible and prevent them from continuing their reign of terror,” French teacher Cemohn Sevier said.
Following the attacks, citizens and world leaders from around the world expressed their solidarity with Belgium. UK Prime Minister David Cameron, President Obama and various other global politicians offered their support and condolences for the country, according to USA Today. Furthermore, many iconic monuments, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Trevi Fountain in Rome and One World Trade Center in New York City were illuminated Belgium’s national colors– red, black and yellow– to demonstrate support for the country.
“This is yet another reminder that the world must unite,” Obama said in a public statement. “We must be together, regardless of nationality or race or faith, in fighting against the scourge of terrorism.”
The event happened overseas, but the repercussions affect many people closer to home. The U.S. Department of State confirmed that the Brussels attacks killed four Americans, including a young couple from Tennessee on vacation in Belgium, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Dozens more were injured in the bombings.
To bring these events closer to her students, Sevier made a short presentation with pictures and videos and shared it with some of her classes. She believes bringing awareness to global issues is an essential part of secondary education, and she wants to bring that reality to young minds. “This is yet another reminder that the world must unite, We must be together, regardless of nationality or race or faith, in fighting against the scourge of terrorism.” — President Obama
“I was saddened to hear what happened in Belgium,” Sevier said. “It is very hard to see all the terrorist activity in Europe right now. I’m sure the [citizens] felt the weight of the attacks whether they were directly affected or not.”
Three more major attacks around the the world, all committed by ISIS, occurred just days after the Brussels incident; one in Yemen killed 26 people, one in Iraq killed 30 and one in Pakistan killed 70. In 2013, a total of 9,707 terrorist attacks occurred worldwide, resulting in more than 17,800 deaths and more than 32,500 injuries, according the U.S. Department of State.
Thousands of people are killed every year in terror-related attacks, but most of these incidents are concentrated in five countries– Iraq, Nigeria Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria. The U.S. is relatively shielded from these events. In fact, according to the Harper’s Index, an American is at least three times more likely to die from a lightning strike than a terrorist attack. Even so, tragic events, such as 9/11, have occurred in the past on American soil, so there may exist a possibility of something similar happening in the future.
“We are facing a difficult time, but we have to all face this unified as one, with solidarity and unity,” Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said in an article with Euronews.
(Photo Courtesy of Zuma Press/TNS/MCT Campus)
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