News Story: Philippines warned - Mindanao seen as new battlefield of regional extremists

By Patricia Lourdes Viray

MANILA, Philippines — Mindanao might be a new battlefield accessible to regional extremists if the Abu Sayyaf Group-Maute coalition holds on to Marawi City, an American analyst said.

Thomas Sanderson, the transnational threats project director at influential think tank CSIS, warned that without a short-term solution to the fighting in Marawi and a long-term solution to problems in Mindanao, ISIS could come to see Mindanao as its primary destination.

The ongoing fighting in Marawi would eventually attract more foreign and local fighters, financial support and media attention, according to Sanderson.

"None of that is good for the security of the Philippine nation, especially local civilians (Muslim, Christian, Buddhist and others) in desperate need of economic development and responsive government," Sanderson said in his testimony before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.

Sanderson noted that the battle in Marawi has become the focal point of activity of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Southeast Asia as more than 500 militant fighters have joined the fight.

The diversity of nationalities among militant casualties raises alarm in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency communities.

"Among the roughly 80 foreign fighters thought to have been in the battle, the dead included fighters from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Chechnya, Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia," Sanderson said.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: US analysts - Time not on AFP’s side in Marawi

By Jose Katigbak

WASHINGTON – The longer militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) prevent Philippine security forces from liberating besieged Marawi City in Mindanao, the better their chances of attracting more foreign and local fighters and financial support, an expert on terrorism has told US legislators.

Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Transnational Threats Project director Thomas Sanderson said that as the Abu Sayyaf group and the Maute coalition hold on in Marawi, the IS could come to see this as a primary, extra-regional destination as its fortunes tumble in the Middle East and North Africa.

Sanderson told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that the battle for Marawi, now in its eighth week, has become the focal point of IS activity in Southeast Asia.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: Philippines likely to become new IS stronghold in Asia

Hanoi (VNA) – It is feared that southern Philippines is fast becoming a centre of extremist groups in Asia, as evidenced by dozens of foreign gunmen joining hands with local IS militants to fight security forces in the region last week.

According to intelligence sources of the Philippines, among 400-500 gunmen that occupied Marawi city in Mindanao island since May 23, some 40 came from other countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, India and Morocco. Eight out of 33 militants killed during the first four days of the Marawi clash were foreigners. 

Meanwhile, Indonesian authorities believed that among 38 Indonesian nationals came to southern Philippines to join IS-related groups, about 22 gunmen were fighting in Marawi.

Read the full story at VietnamPlus

News Report: Malaysian Authorities Detain One Citizen, 3 Foreigners on Possible Terror Links

The Malaysian authorities have detained four terrorist suspects, including three foreign nationals, who may have links to the Daesh terrorist groups, local media reported Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to The Star newspaper, the terrorist suspects were arrested during the period from August 2 to September 17.

A Bangladeshi national, who is on the Interpol watch list, was detained on August 19 on suspicion of arms smuggling for a terrorist group. Another detained man, a citizen of Nepal, is suspected of forgery of documents, while a Morocco national is allegedly a Daesh member. All the detained suspects were deported to their home countries, the newspaper said citing Police Inspector Gen. Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar. 

The fourth suspect is a Malaysian national, which was detained over alleged links to the Daesh. 

A grenade blast at the Movida nightclub outside the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur injured eight people in late June. Authorities said that Malaysians fighting alongside the Daesh in Syria were behind the bombing, which became the first attack in the country conducted by the Daesh terrorirst group, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Story: DCNS Targets Australian Frigate Tender

French FREMM (Image: Wiki Commons)

Pierre Tran

Offers FREMM Frigates for $15B Program

TOULON, France — Rand Corp., a think tank, is due to conclude a short list of competitors this month for Australia’s tender for nine frigates to replace the Anzac warship, Hervé Boy, DCNS business development manager, said March 16.

An announcement of a “short list of two or three” candidates is due later this month in Australia’s Sea 5000 Future Frigate Program, he told journalists as DCNS formally handed over the Languedoc, a Frégate MultiMission or multimission frigate, to the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement (OCCAR), the international program manager.

The Languedoc handover took place as the stealthy frigate took to sea for a brief cruise in heavy rain and strong wind off the coast of southern France, with Navy Seals sailing close by in an Ecume rigid inflatable commando boat and an NH90 naval helicopter flying over.

OCCAR delivered the frigate to Direction Générale de l’Armement, the French procurement office, which in turn will hand the warship over to the French Navy.

Canada is also among the export prospects for DCNS, as Ottawa seeks to acquire 15 frigates, of which 12 would be multipurpose and three air defense versions, he said.

The Australian frigate program, estimated to be worth AUS $20 billion (US $15.2 billion), would replace eight Anzac frigates. DCNS is pitching an extended-range version of its frigate, which could be 6,000 to 7,000 tons, and could be 5 to 6 meters longer than the 6,000-ton standard version built for the French Navy and sold to Egypt and Morocco.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Malaysia Denies Interest in JF-17, But Export Hopes Remain

By Usman Ansari

Editor's note: The original version of this article, published at 2:47 p.m. ET Monday, stated that Malaysia was considering the JF-17 as an option for its Air Force modernization program, as signaled by its High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr. Hasrul Sani, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), but this article has been updated to reflect the defence minister denying interest in the fighter.

ISLAMABAD — Malaysia's Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein has denied media reports that the country is considering the Sino-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder as part of its Air Force modernization plans. Analysts nevertheless think the JF-17 is on the cusp of export success.

Hussein was responding to a question put to him by Malaysian news media after an interview Malaysia's High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Hasrul Sani gave the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). He was reported to have discussed the JF-17 in the context of boosting the wider bilateral relationship.

However, even before the official denial of interest, analysts were unsure Malaysia would buy the JF-17 despite believing the aircraft is well-suited to its requirements.

Though it would complement the heavier Su-30MKM Flanker fighters in service, Malaysian sources privately indicated that Western fighters already under consideration stand a more realistic chance of being selected.

Malaysia has long indicated a desire to replace its remaining US-supplied F-5E/F fighter aircraft, and the MiG-29s it acquired from Russia in the '90s. This may result in an order for 36 to 40 aircraft, according to information available on the program.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

Editorial: The Sino-Pakistani JF-17 Might Have Another Buyer in Asia

By Benjamin David Baker

Malaysia recently expressed an interest in the JF-17 Thunder.

Christmas is a time for reflection, celebration and… buying really expensive gadgets which might or might not be obsolete in a few years. As Robert Farley noted earlier, several states in Asia are getting in the holiday spirit with the presentation of so-called “fifth generation” combat aircraft.

Furthermore, as I’ve covered the last couple of weeks, fourth generation birds are still in high demand throughout the region. Dassualt’s Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing’s F/A- 18 Super Hornet, Saab’s Gripen, and the Sukhoi Su-35 are all being peddled as options for prospective buyers.

As Franz-Stefan Gady has reported for The Diplomat, the Sino-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder(known in China as the FC-1 Xiaolong) is also trying to compete in this crowded field. Developed as a joint venture between China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAC) and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), the JF-17 is supposed to be a low-cost multirole alternative to the more expensive fighters currently on the market. According to the Defense Industry Daily, the aircraft isn’t a top-tier competitor, but does represent a clear step up from Pakistan’s Chinese MiG-19/21 derivatives and French Mirage III/V fighters. This positioning addresses a budget-conscious, “good enough” performance market segment that western companies once dominated, but have since nearly abandoned in recent decades.

First deployed in an operational capacity, the JF-17 Thunder has a conventional aerodynamic layout. The aircraft is fitted with Russian Klimov RD-93 turbofan engine with afterburner capabilities. It is a derivative of the RD-33, used on the MiG-29. In 2007, a contract was signed to supply 150 RD-93 engines for the JF-17, exported to Pakistan. China is also developing an indigenous turbofan engine, which is a copy of the RD-93, but has some modifications. It is designated as the WS-13 (Tianshan-21). The Thunder multi-role fighters delivered to Pakistan are fitted with Italian Grifo S-7 multi-track, multi-mode pulse Doppler radar. It has look-down, shoot-down capability.

Read the full story at The Diplomat

News Story: Could Malaysian Interest in JF-17 Signal Export Sales for Pakistan?

By Usman Ansari

ISLAMABAD — Malaysia is considering the JF-17 Thunder aircraft as an option for its air force modernization program. However, despite analysts saying the aircraft is well suited to Malaysia's requirements, it's unclear whether the country will actually buy the Sino-Pakistan jet.

The uncertainty is especially so when considering entrenched opposition from other suppliers already well established in this area of defense sales and machinations by Pakistan's arch-rival India.

Malaysian interest in the JF-17 was signaled by its High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr. Hasrul Sani, who according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), discussed the fighter against the backdrop of boosting the bilateral relationship in general.

Malay-Pakistani relations are wide-ranging, but Pakistani defense equipment sales to Malaysia have halted at anti-tank and anti-aircraft missile systems.

However, Kaiser Tufail, analyst, and former air force pilot, said he thinks consideration for the JF-17 may move to a higher level.

Read the full story at DefenseNews