By Prashanth Parameswaran
Defense minister warns of linking up and formalization of ties between terror groups.
Singapore’s defense minister warned Wednesday that the Islamic State poses a “clear and present danger” to Southeast Asia, with trained foreign fighters returning from Syria and Iraq potentially linking up and formalizing ties with local groups to execute attacks.
“We see the threat of Islamic extremism as a clear and present danger in our region,” Ng Eng Hen said at an event organized by the Center for New American Security, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
Framing the Islamic State as just the latest manifestation of a terror threat that has consumed the region since the September 11 attacks and the rise of Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups like Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), Ng said the risk was that foreign fighters from the Islamic State returning from Syria and Iraq could link up with local groups in Southeast Asia.
He noted that Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of JI now behind bars in Indonesia, and the Abu Sayyaf, a Philippine rebel group, had already pledged allegiance to the Islamic State back in 2014. Furthermore, Ng said, previously jailed JI militants could once again join forces with the Islamic State following their release.
“The danger is the link up and formalization [of ties] between these groups,” he said.
Read the full story at The Diplomat