The terror attacks in Brussels which claimed the lives over 30 people (and counting) and left 200 injured are yet another savage reminder of the threat posed to Europe by Islamic State and other terrorist organisations.

In the past, terrorist groups had a raison d étre, for example to end occupation of territory, or in retaliation to slayings or executions. But not with this lot. Their sole mission is to carve out a perverted interpretation of an Islamic Caliphate to stretch from Europe to Africa. To them, everyone who does not adhere to their strict and utterly perverted beliefs is a target that should be killed.

Yes, to them, that means everyone and anyone, men, women, children, the elderly and disabled. It is truly horrifying. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who is still reeling from the November attacks in Paris, has said that Europe is at war and has been for some time. He is right.

While many expressed shock that Brussels was targeted, it should be remembered that only a few months ago, just after the Bataclan massacre, Belgium’s terror alert was raised to its highest level, with terrorist attack having been deemed to be imminent. As always, Europe gets lulled into a false sense of security. We go back to our jobs, back to our smartphones and back to our gyms and Sunday family visits, and we simply forget about what happened.

Malta is no exception. When the Valletta Summit on Migration and the CHOGM meetings were held, Schengen rules were suspended and a steady stream of people on false travelling documents were arrested. The issue highlighted the fact that with Schengen rules, it is much easier to slip through the security dragnet.

But as soon as all the events were over, the general public once again settled back into routine without giving anything a thought. Interior Minister Carmela Abela yesterday stated that while there was no specific threat to Malta, our country did what all others did and upped security measures at the airport and at seaports. This is, of course, welcome news. But the truth of the matter is that being alert and staying vigilant has become the new normal for Europe. While people in general tend to forget about what is going on, security services do not and are in a constant battle to stay one step ahead of terrorist cells that are operating silently in Europe.

Interior Minister Carmelo Abela yesterday also said that European nations must share more intelligence if we are to combat the threat head on. He is, again, right. European leaders will now gather and pledge to do more to combat the threat of ISIS and terror. But it is like walking a tight-rope. When the US killed Osama Bin Laden, we spawned an even more grotesque monster in Zarqawi. When he was killed, another even more barbaric figure arose in the form of Al Baghdadi, the current Islamic State leader. What essentially began as an insurrection against occupying forces in Iraq, mutated into a civil war between Sunni and Shia factions of Islam. Islamic State perverted that and used the war to carve out its own vision of hell on earth, which it is trying to export to Europe in the form of terror and mass killings.

We are not waging war against a tangible enemy here, we are at war with an ideology, one which is very hard to penetrate. No doubt, more bombing campaigns will ensue, but while there are still hate preachers and radicalisation camps in the Middle East, terror will not abate. As the great thinker Albert Einstein once said: “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.”