Despite US-led efforts to fight terrorism across the world, deaths caused by terrorist activities have risen fivefold since the dastardly 9/11 attacks, a report has revealed.
According to The Guardian, the Global Terrorism Index recorded almost 18,000 deaths last year, a jump of about 60 percent over the previous year.
The report said that four groups, including Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria; Boko Haram in Nigeria; the Taliban in Afghanistan; and al-Qaida were mainly responsible for the fatal terrorist activities around the globe.
Steve Killelea, executive director of the Institute for Economics and Peace- an independent thinktank, reportedly said there had been a "significant and worrying increase in worldwide terrorism" over the last two years.
The index figures revealed that the number of fatalities had steadily grown over the last 14 years, from 3,361 in 2000 to 11,133 in 2012 and 17,958 in 2013.
It further estimated the number of Taliban fighters to be between 36,000 and 60,000, with IS at 20,000, al-Qaida 3,700-19,000, and Boko Haram 500-9,000, the report added.
