Anumeha Singh Writes: Reportedly, huge number of local inhabitants around 1000 people from the South East Asian nations like Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, have left their country to join terrorist groups like ISIS/ISIL which are based in countries of Iraq and Syria.
This was proved when there was an attack on Jakarta in January this year. The authorities in these nations have warned its people to be prepared for it, as they have been anticipating attacks on their region. There are abduction cases of the people by ISIS-linked Filipino group Abu Sayyaf, to join such Islamic State based terrorist groups.
In spite of being alert for foreign jihadists who may travel to the region to share or pick up battlefield knowledge, it has become difficult for the South East Asian authorities to monitor such activities, due to long porous coast line. As reported, over the past year, IS has increased its propaganda efforts in Indonesia, which is similar to Malay. They are encouraging its people to join their group and also to carry out the attacks from where ever they are. Their leaders are even collecting funds for the same. This has led, Indonesia to call for joint maritime patrols with the Philippines and Malaysia.
In the last few months, the Philippine army has killed two Malaysians fighting with Abu Sayyaf in the south. Indonesian authorities have arrested four Uighurs from China over links to the Mujahidin Indonesia Timur (MIT) group in Sulawesi, and recently killed two who were fighting with MIT. Militants from Syria, Iraq and Turkey have also been sighted in the region, and arrested in some cases over planned attacks, report adds.
These militant groups work together in their region and they also travel to other countries to evade arrest in their own, beheading and abduction of hostages for ransom is common. Recently, the Philippine-based Abu Sayyaf group beheaded one of its foreign hostages after the captive’s government failed to pay a ransom worth millions of dollars. According to BBC, “IS has acknowledged pledges by some groups in the region but not yet formally declared it a ‘province’ as it has with other areas, such as Boko Haram in Africa, though there are signs it is moving toward doing so.” Officials of these South East Asian nations, believes there are many more attacks coming their way.
To control the terrorist activities, these countries need a strict patrolling of maritime region as well as the regions which are claimed as terrorist group based areas. Officials need to have more power to control and confidence over its people. There should be proper security at immigration points both land and water, to keep a tab on its own people joining these groups. But no one can truly say, when is it going to end or when are they going for another attack. South Eastern nations are now the new targets as well as home for these militant groups. It might spread to the other countries in near future. This is a matter of concern not only for one region but it’s a matter of worldwide security interest and hence it should be tackled well.