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By APD Writer Maverick
JAKARTA, July 30 (APD) – Senior officials of six countries gathered in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi capital of Manado to attend the initial Sub Regional Meeting on Foreign Terrorist Fighters and Cross Border Terrorism (SRM FTF-CBT), resulted in possibilities of inter-nation forces alignment to extinguish the escalating terrorism activities in the Philippines’ city of Marawi.
The meeting was attended by senior officials overseeing law and security issues from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Australia and New Zealand.
During the meeting they shared concerns on the escalating terrorism activities in Southeast Asia region carried out by Islamic State (IS) militants following the fall of their in Syria and Iraq.
They said the return of IS militants to their respective nations, particularly in Southeast Asia region, would incite instability and generate security threat. Those returnees, popularly called as Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF), have the mission to seek new IS base.
The seizure of Marawi was part of their efforts in doing so, would consequently threat the security of countries in the region.
The meeting was originally aimed at seeking possibilities to set up cooperation in joint maritime patrol, joint cyber task force, knowledge and information sharing to anticipate terrorism activities targeting countries taking part in the meeting and to intercept the terrorists’ logistic supply chain.
Speaking in the event held in capital of Indonesia’s bordering province to the Philippines, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security affairs Wiranto said that agreements have been reached in the event, need to
be followed suit into ‘real move’.
“It is not impossible if we can do the joint strikes in Marawi. It takes one more step to finalize it,” the Indonesian senior minister said on the sidelines of the meeting on Saturday.
“We realize that no country would be capable in dealing with terrorism alone. Terrorism is actually a cross-border threat,” he said.
Without disclosing the schedule, Wiranto said a further meeting would be conducted to detail the points of agreements approved by representatives of the six countries.
Prior to the event, Indonesia and the Philippines delegations conducted bilateral meeting, which was used by the Philippines officials to explain the developing situation in Marawi and the authorities’ moves to deal with it.
“We asked for more detailed information over the latest development in Marawi where the IS fighters have been trying to establish IS new base in Southern Philippines,” Wiranto said.
According to data released by the Philippines military earlier this month, the ensuing conflicts with terrorists in Marawi have claimed the lives of 39 civilians, 89 troops and 379 terrorists. More than 1,720 people managed to be evacuated from the conflicting zone.
After several months, the Philippines authorities were yet to be able to fully regain control in Marawi as fire exchanges between the military and IS militants were still happened there.
The Philippine congress had approved President Duterte’s demand to extend the martial law imposition in Marawi until the end of the year, paving the way military to further chase IS militants and edging them out of Marawi.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
