ASEAN “Needs to Close Ranks against ISIS”

The Straits Times

02 October 2015

The latest detentions of two Singaporeans planning to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria(ISIS) underline the severity of the threat the terror group continues to pose.

But observers say it also reflects how Singapore has managed the threat: A coordinated, multi-agency approach to national security matters in place over the past decade to deal with the Jemaah Islamiah threat has helped tackle the challenge posed by ISIS.

However, greater cooperation among countries in the region is vital to decisively counter ISIS’ growing influence in the region.

… Some 30 extremist groups from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have taken oaths of allegiance to ISIS over the past year, said Professor Rohan Gunaratna, who heads Singapore’s International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research.

He notes that while these groups are not directly funded by ISIS, they localise and disseminate its propaganda, augmenting its ability to recruit foreign fighters and carry out attacks in areas far away from its self-declared caliphate.

… Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, head of policy studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, says: “The messages are not just targeted at fighters and fanatics, but also at professionals and administrators.”

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