We are already half way through in 2016, and the world has witnessed some of the deadliest terror attacks that have come in quick succession.

Right from the entire Middle East to Africa, Europe, Asia and the United States, the year 2016 will be remembered as the year when terrorism clearly spread its tentacles far and wide with its epicenter in Syria and Iraq to hit across different points on the world map.

The worst affected countries are the war-ravaged Iraq, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan where several hundreds have died in 2016 alone, with a terrorist attack claiming several lives almost every other day.

The recent spate of attacks that have hit Europe, namely Germany and France, bears testimony to the fact that terrorism is as much about religious extremists from abroad as it is a result of home-grown terrorism. The United States is a prime example of home-grown terror with the recent San Bernardino and Orlando attacks that together left around 63 people dead and 75 injured.

The latest attack in France comes nearly a fortnight after Nice attacks where a lorry driver who swore allegiance to the Islamic State, mowed down nearly 84 people and wounded more than 300 celebrating Bastille Day.

Time after time, France bears the brunt of terrorism with more people leaving to join the ISIS and other jihadi ranks in Iraq and Syria.

According to data released by The International Centre of Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (based on data from second half of 2014) as published in the Wall Street Journal, nearly 1200 people had joined jihadist ranks from France alone in Iraq and Syria, followed by Germany and Britain.

Through the interactive map below, we track terror-related activities across the world, bringing you the latest – as it happens.

Tracking Terror in 2016

This story map will trace all the terrorist activities across the world.

Normandy, France, July 26, 2016: Two attackers seized hostages in a church near the Normandy city of Rouen on Tuesday, killing one hostage by slitting their throat before being killed by police, a security official said. The identities of the attackers and motive for the attack are unclear, according to the official, who was not authorized to be publicly named.

Ansbach, Germany, July 25, 2016: One person was killed and 12 others were injured at a restaurant in Ansbach, near the German city of Nuremberg in an explosion that occurred late on Sunday, a police spokesman said. The spokesman said he had no immediate information on the cause of the blast, which was first reported at 10.12 pm. CET (2012 GMT).

Reutlingen, Germany, July 24, 2016: A 21-year-old Syrian refugee killed a woman with a machete and injured two other people before being arrested in the southern German city of Reutlingen, a police spokesman said.

Munich, Germany, July 22, 2016: An 18-year-old German-Iranian gunman who apparently acted alone opened fire in a busy shopping mall in Munich on Friday evening, killing at least nine people in the third attack against civilians in Western Europe in eight days. The pistol-wielding attacker, identified by Munich Police Chief Hubertus Andrae as a dual national, was later found dead of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.

Wurzberg, Germany, July 19, 2016: A 17-year-old Afghan refugee injured at least 20 train passengers with an axe and a knife in Germany’s Würzburg. The man was shot dead by German police later.

Nice, France, July 14, 2016: A man driving a truck, reportedly a French citizen of Tunisian origin, ploughed into a crowd that was celebrating Bastille Day in Nice along the picturesque French Riviera, killing at least 84 and injuring hundred others. IS claimed the attack.

Istanbul, June 29, 2016: Suicide attackers armed with guns and bombs killed 41 people and wounded scores at Istanbul’s busy Ataturk Airport. The government said Islamic State extremists were believed to be responsible.

Lahore, March 28, 2016: A suicide bomber killed at least 72 people, mostly women and children, at a park in Lahore on Sunday in an attack claimed by a Pakistani Taliban faction which said it had targeted Christians. More than 300 other people were wounded, officials said.

Brussels airport, Belgium, March 22, 2016: Explosions tore through the departure hall of Brussels airport on Tuesday morning killing at least 10 people and injuring several others, Belgian news agency Belga said. Another blast was reported at the metro station, near EU institutions.

Istanbul, March 19, 2016: A suicide attack on Istanbul’s main pedestrian shopping street Saturday killed five people, including two dual nationality Israeli-Americans and one Iranian citizen, and wounded several dozen others, in the sixth suicide bombing in Turkey in the past year.

Nigeria, March 16, 2016: Two female suicide bombers killed at least 22 worshippers in an attack during dawn prayers on Wednesday on a mosque on the outskirts of the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, rescue officials said from the birthplace of Boko Haram. One bomber blew up inside the mosque and the second waited outside to detonate as survivors tried to escape, said coordinator Abba Aji of the civilian self-defense Vigilante Group.

Ankara, March 14, 2016: Turkey’s health minister said three more people have died from injuries suffered in a suicide car-bomb attack in the capital, raising the death toll to 37. A car bomb tore through a crowded transport hub in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Sunday, killing over 30 people and wounding 125 in the second such attack in the administrative heart of the city in under a month.

Pakistan, March 7, 2016: At least 17 people were killed and 30 others injured today when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded court in Pakistan’s restive northwest, an attack the Taliban said was revenge for the hanging of liberal Punjab province governor Salman Taseer’s Islamist assassin. The suicide bomber blew himself up inside the district court’s compound in Shabqadar Bazaar of Charsadda district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Jalalabad, Afghanistan, March 2, 2016: India’s Consulate in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad city was attacked on Tuesday with a suicide bomber blowing himself up during the terror strike but all Indians at the mission were safe, Indian foreign office said.

Iraq, February 29, 2016: In Iraq, the death toll from devastating back-to-back market bombings carried out by the Islamic State group the previous day in eastern Baghdad climbed to 73 today, officials said. Several of the critically wounded died overnight while 112 people remain in hospital, two police officials said. Also, at least five people were still missing after the blast that ripped through the crowded Mredi market in the Shiite district of Sadr City, followed by a suicide bombing amid the crowd that had quickly gathered at the site to help the victims.

Afghanistan, January 20, 2016: A suicide bomber struck a minibus near the Russian embassy in downtown Kabul today, killing four people in the latest deadly attack in the Afghan capital despite an international push to jumpstart Taliban peace talks. Read: Suicide bomber kills four near Russian embassy in Kabul.

Pakistan, January 20, 2016: A group of militants stormed a university in volatile northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday using the cover of thick fog, police said. The militants entered the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, early on Wednesday before opening fire on students and teachers in classrooms and hostels, two police officials said. Read: ‘Taliban’ gunmen storm Bacha Khan University; at least 21 dead, all attackers killed, say police.

Peshawar, January 19, 2016: A local official says a bomb targeting a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan has killed 11 people. Iqbal Khan says another 17 people were wounded in the Tuesday morning blast, which took place on the outskirts of Peshawar on a road leading to neighboring Afghanistan. He says the dead include police, civilians and at least one child.

Istanbul, January 12, 2016 – An explosion rocked a square in the heart of Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet tourist district on Tuesday and a police officer and witness at the scene reported seeing body parts after the blast. According to reports, 10 people are feared killed and several others have been wounded. READ: 10 feared dead, 15 wounded in blast.

Libya, January 7, 2016 – A massive truck bomb exploded near a police base in the western Libyan town of Zliten on Thursday, killing at least 60 policemen and wounding around 200 others, officials said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but a local Islamic State affiliate has been trying to gain a foothold in Zliten.

Paris, January 7, 2016 – A man wearing a fake explosives vest and wielding a butcher knife was shot to death by police outside a Paris police station, jolting an already anxious French capital with a new dose of fear as the nation grimly marked a year of terror that started with the newsroom massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper.

Afghanistan, attack on Indian consulate – January 4, 2016: Afghan troops rappelled from helicopters onto the roof of a four-story building near the Indian Consulate in a northern city to drive out gunmen who had attacked the diplomatic mission the night before, officials said. “At least two Afghan security forces were killed in the attack,” Farhad said, adding that since the building is close to a residential area, “we are careful to avoid civilian casualties.” READ: Terrorists gunned down after 25-hour gunfight at the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif.

Pathankot, Punjab – January 2, 2016: Heavily-armed terrorists, suspected to be members of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad, attacked the Pathankot airbase in a pre-dawn strike Saturday. Security forces, including commandos of the National Security Guard and Army and Indian Air Force personnel, engaged the terrorists, and gun battles through the day left at least five terrorists and three security personnel dead. Click here for the full coverage.

Kabul, Afghanistan – January 1, 2016: A loud explosion rocked central Kabul, with an official saying the target was apparently a restaurant popular with foreigners in the Afghan capital. Two people were killed in the suicide blast. “The target was Le Jardin restaurant,” an official told AFP. Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

(Source: The Indian Express)