Sonara
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 2, 2008
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A new list has revealed Baghdad is the most dangerous place on earth for terrorist attacks - while Paris and Belfast are deemed Europe's deadliest.
More than three people died in the Iraqi capital every day in the 12 months to February on average, while a total of 3,654 people were wounded in 380 separate terrorist attacks.
It made the city, a constant target for Islamic extremists, the most deadly place to live in the world when it came to terror attacks.
Baghdad is followed by ISIS controlled Mosul and Al Ramadi, which fell to the Islamic militants just last week.
In fact, the first six of the top 10 most dangerous cities for terrorism in the world are in Iraq, with the final four are made up of three cities in Pakistan and one - Benghazi - in Libya.
Meanwhile, the study, by Verisk Maplecroft for its new Global Alerts Dashboard (GAD), rates a further 54 cities as 'extreme risk'.
However, not one place in Europe is in the category, while the US only has low risk cities.
Belfast - ranked at number 91 - is the most dangerous for terrorism in Europe, caused by the on-going paramilitary activity in the Northern Irish city.
Paris moves to 97 and 'high risk' due to the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in January, which left 17 dead.
A Verisk Maplecroft spokesman explained: 'This risk score does not necessarily reflect an increase in the potential for further such attacks in the French capital, however, high profile Western cities are likely to remain desirable targets for Islamist militants.'
Despite this, London only ranks at 400 - almost a third of the way down the 1,300 cities considered for the study.
What's more, it falls outside the top 10 most dangerous European cities, thanks in part to efforts stemming terrorist threats following the 7/7 bombings, which killed 52 civilians.
However, a spokesman for Maplecroft said this does not mean the capital is not high on the list of terror targets.
'Although the city is categorised as "low risk" in the global city ranking, it is nevertheless exposed to an ongoing threat of attacks by militant Islamist groups,' he said.
'The comparative effectiveness of the UK's security forces – illustrated by ongoing terror arrests – has so far prevented a repeat of a 7/7 style attack.
'However, the British capital remains a highly attractive target for terrorist organisations, due to the significant propaganda value of a successful attack.'
The most dangerous city for terrorism in the U.S. is Las Vegas, which was ranked 184 in the world, followed by Kansas City at 190.
Sydney is also ranked in the top 200 - no doubt pushed up by the attack by an Islamic extremist in a Lindt cafe December last year.
New York - which arguably was the victim of one of the most audacious terror attacks in history - is only ranked the 369th most dangerous in the world.
In comparison, a number of smaller cities, including Bristol at 179, are ranked far higher.
However, although these places have been pushed up the list due to low level attacks by anarchists and left wing radicals, commercial centre remain the primary focus of Islamist militant groups looking to commit a large-scale terrorist attack in the UK, the spokesman warned.
THE TOURIST DESTINATIONS TARGETED BY TERRORISTS*
1) Jerusalem, Israel (42)
2) Cairo, Egypt (45)
3) Nairobi, Kenya (57)
4) Bangkok, Thailand (89)
5) Tunis, Tunisia (152)
6) Istanbul, Turkey (171)
7) Las Vegas, USA (184)
8) Sydney, Australia (192)
9) Zanzibar, Tanzania (216)
10) Cape Town, South Africa (302)
THE TOP TEN MOST DANGEROUS CITIES FOR TERRORISM IN EUROPE*
1) Belfast, Northern Ireland (90)
2) Paris, France (97)
3) Athens, Greece (113)
4) Brussels, Belgium (177)
5) Berlin, Germany (214)
6) Nicosia, Cyprus (239)
7) Pristina (Prishtinë), Serbia (257)
8) Tirana, Albania (314)
9) Skopje, Macedonia (323)
10) Monaco (340)
Source: Daily Mail
