Last year in Toulouse, France, Mohamed Merah, a 23-year-old French-Algerian Islamist terrorist attacked and killed several French Army personnel, blaming it on the war in Afghanistan.

Although not identical with the recent Woolwich incident in which Drummer Lee Rigby lost his life savagely on a street in South East London, the initial theory for both was that this was the work of lone wolves. Like Toulouse, this theory is now being dismissed following the arrest of several others leading to speculation that the Woolwich incident was indeed a planned attack and not an opportunistic venture by Islamist radicals.

These types of incidents will undoubtedly have lead to continue questioning whether we will ever win the war on terror and, by default provide safety and security at home. Will more of this style of attack occur on UK soil? Who knows? What about when our servicemen and women return from Afghanistan following the withdrawal. Will we see more attacks of this nature?

Some say the Taliban will return to strength in Afghanistan once the ISAF forces pull out and that Al Qaeda will once again prosper in the region. Others say the opposite. What is clear is that it is nigh impossible to stop every incident. 9/11, 7/7, Toulouse and now Woolwich have proven that.