Shocking slaughter

We have stood yet again in apprehension of the slaughter of 12 civilian hostages, Nepalese this time, at the hands of Islamist fundamentalists. Every civilised mind was shocked at this barbaric act and condemned it wholeheartedly.

However, I find the need to ask a few questions in two directions:

1. Are we being shocked simply by the lack of technology that these terrorists have? Why is killing with a knife more of a savagery or barbarity than killing by a smart bomb? Would we be as shocked if these Islamists had the money to assail the occupation forces with smart bombs, with as little collateral damage as possible?

2. Aren't we dealing with people who are so desensitised by war and savagery that they might not see the shock value that we see in their act? These are individuals who have fought against enemies all over the Middle East (not just in Iraq) - all their life they have known only war; against Russians, Israelis, and Americans.

Lastly, one would wish that in parallel to condemning such acts we can also recognise the many bombarded civilian areas in Iraq and Israel for what they are - the cause of these savage acts.