Continued Vigilance Needed to Counter IS Threats

Posted by AsiaViews | Sep 12, 2017 | 0 |

The New Straits Times

Sep 6, 2017

The recent arrest of 19 men linked to Islamic State (IS) by Bukit Aman’s Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division in several locations in the country is an indication that Malaysia cannot afford to let her guard down when it comes to dealing with counter-terrorism. The police must be congratulated for apprehending the eight Malaysians and 11 foreigners, two of whom were IS commanders who fought in Iraq. We can only imagine the harm that they would have caused if they were out of the ken of our counter-terrorism officers as they were planning to unleash their fire power during the closing ceremony of the 27th Kuala Lumpur Sea Games and our 60th National Day Celebrations. We can take comfort in the fact that the newly appointed Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Harun, who comes fresh from the Counter-Terrorism Division, has the fight against terrorism upper most in his mind.

A pertinent question: How did these 11 foreigners gain entry into Malaysia? One of them, a 25-year-old Bangladeshi, was reportedly employed as a temporary teacher in a tahfiz in Gombak, Selangor, having entered Malaysia September last year on the pretext of furthering his studies at a public university. This comes hot on the heels of a private university in the capital city being used as a center for human trafficking.

Terrorism is fast emerging as a prime threat to the security and stability of Malaysia as she enters 60 years of nationhood. While we rely on our Malaysian police’s counter-terrorism expertise, Malaysia must continue to adopt a long-term multi-prong approach in tackling the growing global menace. No gap must be left for the terrorists to slip through under the pretext of seeking further education or employment. Enhanced coordination among the various government agencies with the police’s Counter-Terrorism Division will surely go a long way in keeping these undesirable elements away from the shores of the country.

Extremism is a result of a warped mind that views the world in an uncompromising way. It must not be understood to be limited to one particular faith. Neither is it limited to a particular people. Malaysia’s approach to fight terrorism through soft power, counter-narrative and winning hearts and minds at local, regional and global level is the way to go. Using military might to fight terrorism has turned in abysmal results as witnessed in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere.

It is in this context that initiatives such as the country’s policy on counter-terrorism, law enforcement, de-radicalization strategy and rehabilitation programmes must be seen. Malaysia has done well in weeding out terrorism to be noticed by the international community. Many have come to our shores to take home our experience. The establishment of the King Salman Centre for International Peace in Kuala Lumpur is an effort by Saudi Arabia to learn from the experience of Malaysia which has witnessed terrorism and insurgency. Malaysia’s de-radicalisation strategy is part of Malaysia’s soft power approach adopted from the country’s experience during the insurgency.

(https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/leaders/2017/09/277016/continued-vigilance-needed-counter-threats )

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

Continued Vigilance Needed to Counter IS Threats