AS the nation reels from the Manchester terror attack of last week, the usual questions are asked.

First and foremost is, as always, “why?” Why would someone born, raised, educated and financially supported in a country turn against his fellow citizens in such a murderous way?

Next comes the question of “where and when next?”, shortly followed by questions of our governments about what they are going to do to protect us in the so-called war against terror.

While the questions come thick and fast in the wake of a terrorist attack, the answers tend not to.

Hardly surprising, as it is so incomprehensible to us how a young man could build and then strap a bomb to himself in order to kill innocent young people enjoying a pop concert. The perpetrator has of course achieved his ends: death, destruction and – perhaps most of all - striking fear and, yes, terror, into people’s hearts. No doubt Salman Abedi would have been delighted to have seen armed military personnel in Downing Street in the wake of his Manchester Arena atrocity.

Where and when next really is anyone’s guess, just as the terrorists rely on. That element of surprise, coupled with fear, is their stock in trade.

As for the “war on terror”, we aren’t, of course, at war. A war involves mutual hostilities, rules of engagement, and it doesn’t involve one side attacking non-combatants. Terrorists aren’t warriors, they are criminals.

Unfortunately, however, that is precisely what they believe themselves to be: warriors. Warriors engaged in a holy fight against secularism, against human rights, liberalism, equality and against the rule of law. If there is indeed a war on terror, it is certainly an uneven one.

Of course, terrorism is nothing new - it has been an unfortunate part of life for many, many centuries, from the days of the Assassins and the Thugs. The Assassins of the 11th century were hell-bent on spreading fundamentalist Islam, while the Thugs of India were active for six centuries, and responsible for killing an estimated 500,000 victims.

Historically, then, terrorists have been around since time immemorial - they are nothing new; and yet still they possess the power, in these enlightened and sophisticated times, to wreak just as much havoc as their forebears.

How then to deal with the modern plague of terrorists (although I have to admit I prefer President Trump’s dismissive label of “losers”) with their suicide bombs and their use of cars and vans as weapons?

While the security services come in for criticism for failing to stop Abedi, who was in their sights, had been reported for his extreme views, and had recently returned from Libya, theirs is not the blame for this fanatic’s actions. With thousands of “active” jihadists reported to be known to the security services in Britain alone, it is impossible to see how resources could be stretched to guarantee keeping our citizens safe. We know it – and the terrorists know it.

Therein lies the real problem, which is one of scale. During the Irish Troubles when the IRA were bombing London and Birmingham, the number of known, active terrorists was far smaller than today’s jihadists. Even so, plenty managed to wreak their murderous havoc.

With migrants moving around Europe more than ever before - and more easily - and with impressionable young men being prepared to die themselves in order to achieve their deadly ends (easily the most worrying aspect of today’s global terrorism), the security forces have their work cut out, for sure.

Thus far, we can take some comfort from the fact that terrorism remains relatively unsophisticated. Bombs and individual acts of butchery remain the terrorists’ modus operandi of choice, if only for practical reasons.

In the meantime, until the next act strikes, like the good people of Manchester, we will carry on going about our daily lives. Candlelit vigils, floral tributes and social media solidarity mean nothing to the terrorists – but they seem to be a source of much comfort to those affected by today’s terrorists.

Sadly, while many people talk of the need to root out extremism before it is able to take hold of the disaffected young men for whom it appears so seductive, the harsh fact is that terrorism has been around practically for as long as man has and it shows no signs of disappearing. No amount of floral tributes, no amount of armed patrols on our streets will alter that. Thugs, Assassins or just plain old losers – call them what you will but terrorism is a constant plague of life.