Australia takes key anti-ISIS force role

AUSTRALIA will lead a “united force” of regional police to combat Islamic Statebacked terrorists in South-East Asia and for the first time share intelligence files of the jihadists’ movements and financing from the Middle East.

Sources have confirmed talks between senior Australian Federal Police officers and counterparts from the Indonesian National Police are well advanced in formalising a pact to combat ISIS across the region and bring in other counterparts from the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.

How the strategy will work is to be further discussed in November.

Two days ago two radicalised locals from Singapore were arrested trying to join militants in the besieged city of Marawi in southern Philippines where thousands of armed forced have been battling ISIS-backed militants for more than three months.

But intelligence has confirmed wannabe jihadists in the region, using the distraction of Marawi and chatting via the encrypted Telegram app, have become well organised, funded and armed.

There are more than 400 suspected Australian jihadists on a watch list that were looking to join ISIS-backed armed conflict.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan would not discuss specifics but has said the threat from returning foreign fighters inspiring homegrown regional jihadists was very real.

“The need for greater cooperation with our neighbours has never been more critical,” Mr Keenan said yesterday.

“No single country can defeat ISIS alone but together we create a united force that can defeat this threat.

“This is why Australia is taking a leadership role and joining forces with our regional neighbours to do everything within our powers to stop ISIS from getting a stronghold in our backyard.”