BD among 13 nations at terror risks in 2013

Bangladesh was among 13 countries at high risk of being hit by terrorism, said the Institute for Economics and Peace, reports bdnews24.
The Global Terrorism Index released along with its annual report shows Bangladesh scoring 5.25 for the year 2013. The index ranks the country 23rd among 124 countries.
Iraq, where 6,362 died in 2,492 terror attacks last year, has topped the list scoring 10.
The international research body said Iraq has suffered most damage for terror and militancy and observed that the world not only witnessed intensified terror during last year but saw it spread as well.
A total 17,958 lost their lives to terror in 2013, 61 percent more than last year. Nearly 10,000 terror attacks have taken place, 44 percent more than the previous figure.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh was among countries 'not in conflict but at risk of higher level of terrorism' because of 'high level of political terror' and 'low levels of intergroup cohesion'.
Human rights violations, state-sanctioned killings, torture and political imprisonment fell under political terror, as measured by the Amnesty International and the US State Department, said the report, while defining intergroup cohesion as cooperation and respect between identity groups.
The others are Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Iran, Israel, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Uganda. Bangladesh had been 57th among 162 countries in the index for 2012.
It witnessed widespread violence in 2013 during war crimes trials of top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and during opposition agitation before the 10th national election held in January, 2014.