ISIS has eye on S-E Asia, says terror expert

Returning fighters may link up with terrorist groups in region, he says
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 5 Mar 2015

THE Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group is beefing up its external operations wing and courting support in South- east Asia, a security expert said at a counter-terrorism meeting here.

Professor Rohan Gunaratna, who heads Singapore's International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR), told the Global Security Asia conference yesterday that 22 terrorist groups in South-east Asia have pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and are disseminating propaganda in the region in local languages, largely online.

Fighters returning from Syria and Iraq could also link up with terror groups such as Mujahidin Indonesia Timur and Jemaah Islamiah offshoot Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), and pose a continuing threat to the region, he added.

In a speech, Prof Rohan highlighted JAT as a group capable of committing suicide attacks and one that has been active beyond Indonesia's borders, with operatives purchasing weapons from Thailand and transiting through Malaysia, and whose propaganda has even spread to Singapore.

His comments come amid an ongoing effort by a multinational coalition to defeat ISIS by recapturing territory it holds in Iraq.

"As ISIS loses territory, it will become more insurgent, hit-and- run and terrorist in nature, and its influence will spread overseas," Prof Rohan told The Straits Times separately.

"The world must brace itself for a new wave of terrorist strikes, both on the scale we have witnessed in Sydney, Copenhagen, Paris and Ottawa recently, and also ISIS-directed attacks that may even mirror the scale of 9/11."

ISIS' growing support in the region has reignited fears that returning fighters will bring with them battle experience and connections to launch attacks.

There have already been instances of European fighters in Syria travelling through South-east Asia before returning to Europe, raising the question of whether they were surveying targets or just throwing the authorities off their tracks, Prof Rohan said.

He also noted that ISIS, which controls oil fields and banks in areas it controls, could pour funds into global attacks, just as Al-Qaeda did a decade ago.

More than 1,000 radicals from the Asia-Pacific have left for Syria, with about 300 from South- east Asia. Countries are adopting tough measures, with Malaysia set to table a new anti-terrorism law this month.

Conference speaker Idznursham Ismail also warned that the possibility of ISIS turning to unconventional weapons cannot be discounted.

The ICPVTR research analyst said there is online chatter among extremists about the use of chemical, biological and radiological agents, including chlorine bombs. A senior ISIS militant killed in a January air strike was found to be a chemical weapons expert.

Said Mr Idznursham: "They have the experts, they have the resources, so the use of these unconventional weapons is something we will have to keep an eye on."

Community can be eyes and ears against radicalism, says Masagos
Parents urged to watch out for signs in children so they can be counselled
By Lim Yi Han, The Straits Times, 4 Mar 2015

THE community should be aware of the threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and take preventive measures, said Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli.

He urged parents, for example, to watch for signs of radicalisation in their children and report them early to the authorities so that they can be counselled.

"The Government's role is to ensure that our borders are secure, there is racial harmony and that we do not become a society that hates each other," added Mr Masagos, who was speaking to the media after the launch of the Global Security Asia conference and exhibition yesterday.

"But everyone has a part... We would like the community to be involved, be our eyes, our ears."

The biennial three-day event on security and terrorism at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre focuses on the threat of ISIS in Asia.

About 58 delegates from countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, Israel and France are attending. There are 168 exhibition booths on security solutions and technology, as well as weapons to combat terrorism.

Mr Masagos added that the ISIS threat has a "global effect", and that about 300 people in the region, including some Singaporeans, have gone to Syria and Iraq to join the group.

"Our concern is when and if they come back, what will they do? They become a new threat to our land. They would have been exposed to a very different world view in Syria, and when they come back, they may import those ideas," he said.

"We have two families participating in Syria. When they come back, we have to rehabilitate them."

His remarks were backed by security officials from across the region. Royal Malaysia Police Senior Assistant Commissioner Sahabudin Abdul Manan said: "Terrorism is not just in Syria, it's everywhere.

"There are people in this region who support ISIS or sympathise with them. This is dangerous, because they take the law into their own hands."

Senior Superintendent John Jambora of the Philippine National Police noted that the ISIS threat is an "international concern", adding that there are several Muslims in the Philippines who may be recruited for terrorism.

Conference chair Rohan Gunaratna, a professor of security studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: "ISIS presents the most dominant terrorist threat to Singapore and the region.

"Its ability to radicalise and militarise individuals anywhere in the world is growing. Singapore will have to work with regional partners, primarily Malaysia and Indonesia, to reduce the threat."