Terrorists from Marawi regrouping – Australia

BY DANTE “KLINK” ANG 2ND

MELBOURNE: The terrorists responsible for the fivemonth siege of Marawi are regrouping to strike again elsewhere,

“We see evidence that they’re on intelligence that has been - shared with the Philippine bassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely told TheMa- Gorely’s statement was later

nilaTimes in an interview in corroborated by the Moro IsManila on February 16. lamic Liberation Front (MILF)

The “evidence” was based

when its chairman said last week that ISIS sympathizers were awash in arms and cash and were not done fighting.

“The chances of another MILF Chairman Murad Ebrahim told foreign journalists in the Philippines during a forum as reported by TheTimes.

Gorely also said in the interview with TheTimes that there were enough of the armed men fighting against the government be making plans to strike again. “We’re monitoring the situation very closely.”

Another Australian official - Defense Force has pulled out its reconnaissance aircraft after the liberation of the besieged city on the southern Philippine island close eye on the region.

Gorely said that since the Australia has stepped up its counterrorism efforts and cooperation with other governments in the region.

countries after their radicalization and fighting for the ISIS cause in Syria and Iraq.

Regional security

- tralian government spokesman conducted a counterterrorism briefing to visiting journalists from news organizations in the The ManilaTimes.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ( DFAT) gave the visiting journalists permission to quote the but said they may not name the particular officials who conducted the briefing.

That government spokesman working on counterrorism said as Southeast Asia had gone to the name for ISIS adopted by many world leaders) attempted to

its citizens from going to the Middle East and joining the religious fundamentalists. But now that the so-called caliphate has for Australia and other countries is in dealing with those who are returning to their homeland here and around the region.

While Australian authorities believe that the number of Filipinos who joined the fundamentalists in the Middle East was less than those from other countries - east Asians who fought and died Lanao del Sur province.

The counterterrorism spokesman explained that the emergence of ISIS several years ago had energized religious funda and has made counterrorism efforts in the Indo- Pacific region more difficult.

“That was a situation where the effect of ISIS brought to - ever want to work together. And they had done something that had not been done in Southeast took over an urban center and then held it for five months.” Australia welcomed the news that - spokesman added.

key terrorists have been killed but some have probably gotten remain with us.”

An Australian government - said Marawi was far from over. This spokeswoman works for the South-East Asia Division of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra.

She said what worries Australians was what Marawi means that those returning home to this region from Syria and Iraq posed a long- term impact on security and stability in the

There is concern that this new threat may spread to the region.

When Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was in told journalists at a news confer - in Manila. We are in the same time zone as Perth. You may as well be in Perth in terms of the way you’re dealing with people with us here. That is exactly what is happening to us in the battle - where is far away from anywhere else. So Marawi is not something ... it is not a place people in Australia haven’t heard of a long way from So is Raqqa. So is Mosul. That is why we need to be relentless in together to keep Australians safe.”

Australians’ safety may not be the only concern Down Under.

- lia’s third-largest trading partner. And Australia was the regional a relationship established in 1974. Asean is the Association of of 10-member states that include the Philippines.

- bassador Gorely said Australia provided “game- changing” support to the Philippines against the terrorists in Marawi.

aircraft provided daily real-time intelligence to the Philippine mili - ing of the terrorists. Australia also provided urban-warfare training to Filipino soldiers.

-

Summit in Sydney

Turnbull will host an AseanAustralia Special Summit in his the key items on the agenda is counterrorism cooperation.

Gorely said Australia aims to disrupt the full range of terrorist foreign funds to the fundamentalists in the region and monitoring communication over social media networks with hopes of preventing future attacks.

With regard to the Philip been working with Filipino officials for two years now on strengthening its legislation against terrorism.

Because Philippine laws are has been harder to prosecute - suspects caught performing terrorist acts were charged with ordinary criminal offenses.

Gorely added that the Philippines has secured a conviction to the fact that a defendant had actually confessed to the crime.

terrorism laws are tougher and - ment here is urging other Asean countries to do the same.