According to Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia's defense minister, the joint sea patrols in the waters along the borders of the three nations would start on June 19, but the air patrols will start at a later date.
Hussein made the comment at a security conference in Singapore considering the continuous battle of the Philippine government troops against Islamic State group gunmen in Marawi, which started around two weeks ago, on May 23.
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has put the entire area of Mindanao under martial law following the attacks of the Maute Group on May 23. The attacks were the kick-off plans of the terrorists to establish an IS territory here in the Philippines.
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| Photo from Inquirer |
According to security analysis, IS is planning to create a foothold in the southern island of Mindanao, as part of their campaign to set up a territory in Southeast Asia, as a result of their losing battles in Syria.
"If you talk about Sulu Straits (it) would involve Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines," Hishammuddin told the delegates present in the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security summit.
"So within ASEAN, we decided at least these three countries, to avoid being accused of doing nothing, the three of us took the initiative to have the joint patrol... initiatives in the Sulu Straits," he added, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
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Hishammuddin said that Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore have also carried out successful joint patrols in the Malacca Strait bordering their countries to fight maritime piracy.
Analysts added that the easily-penetrable maritime borders between the three countries make it hard to detect any movement of possible terrorism.
As stated by Otso Iho, a senior analyst at IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC), Mindanao is "the primary area in the region where Islamist militant groups are still able to operate with some freedom of operation, run training camps, and conduct frequent attacks."
"The level of lawlessness and the fact that the space is difficult for government forces and institutions to effectively govern makes it the most likely place for a declaration," Iho told AFP.
"It's also the location where the vast majority of Southeast Asian groups that have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State are based," Iho added.
Hishammuddin and the other defense ministers who were present at the conference in Singapore also warned about the threat post by the returning Southeast Asian militants who are fighting with the IS in countries of Iraq and Syria where the group is losing its territory.
"This however then gives rise to the disturbing prospect that the Asia-Pacific is now in DAESH's crosshairs," Hishammuddin said, using an alternative acronym for the group.
Hishammuddin also added that the threat is "real and multidimensional, whether from returning fighters, regional franchises or more disturbingly, from self-radicalized lone wolves," Hishammuddin added.
Source: GMA News
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