Southeast Asia: Islamic State’s next base?

Posted on July 5, 2016 by weehingthong

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9 July 2016

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New Sulu camp for Malaysian IS recruits?

July 9, 2016

 

10 Malaysians among them now, says researcher. Police to check new propaganda video about ‘Battalion of Migrants’ created in Southern Philippines.

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PETALING JAYA: A new camp has been set up by militants of the Islamic State terrorism network to draw recruits from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, according to a researcher.

The camp is said to be in Basilan island in Mindanao province, the autonomous Muslim-majority region.

Terrorism researcher Dr Rohan Gunaratna of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University was quoted as saying that the camp and a new battalion of militants, had been set up to attract recruits who formerly would have had to go to Iraq and Syria to join the IS (or Daesh).

According to NST Online, he said about 10 Malaysians were in the new battalion, called Katibah Al-Muhajir, or Battalion of Migrants, comprising Malaysians and Indonesians.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/07/09/new-sulu-camp-for-malaysian-is-recruits/

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4h4 hours ago

: IS shifting to Southeast Asia as Middle East base shrinks, Singapore security expert warns
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KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — South-east Asia could become the new base for the Islamic State (IS) as the global terror group is forced to cede its territory in Iraq and Syria, National University of Singapore political scientist Bilveer Singh has predicted.

Bilveer, who is also an adjunct senior fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), said this is because the terror group also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) would seek to remain relevant politically and gain more recruits through its global franchises.

“The more ISIS shrinks territorially, the more it will free up its fighters for acts of global terrorism,” he wrote in a commentary piece for RSIS.

“The more ISIS is threatened, the more fighters are likely to return to their home countries, bringing ISIS’ fight to various regions of the world, including South-east Asia.”

“In fact, South-east Asia’s larger war with terrorism would begin once ISIS is defeated in the Middle East,” he added.

The terror group has already declared war against Malaysia and Indonesia, and has managed to recruit some Muslim citizens from the two South-east Asian countries to join its ranks.

– See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/is-shifting-to-southeast-asia-as-middle-east-base-shrinks-singapore-securit?utm_content=buffer6021f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#sthash.XNQYI0jY.dpuf

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NST
IS supporters heading to southern Philippines
By AMIN MOKHTAR
9 July 2016 @ 11:04 AM

KUALA LUMPUR: In what is seen as a desperate attempt to increase their wavering manpower, Malaysian terrorists in the Philippines, who have before openly renounced their citizenships, have established a new battalion to continue their extremist struggles.
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The new battalion, called the Katibah Al-Muhajir or Battalion of Migrants, was created to persuade supporters and sympathisers to join the Islamic State cause.
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This was revealed by terrorism expert Dr Rohan Gunaratna, head of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University’s International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research.
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“Now we have seen that in the Philippines, IS has created Katibah Al-Muhajir, the Battalion of Migrants. They are (made up of) Malaysians and Indonesians,” he told the New Straits Times.
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He said the battalion was created in response to the failure of recruits from Southeast Asia to travel to the Middle East to join IS. The announcement, said Rohan, was made by IS in a propaganda video last month.
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“IS said that those (intending to join IS) from Southeast Asia need not (go) to Syria and Iraq if it is difficult, that (it is better) for them to go to the Philippines,” he said.

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/07/157337/supporters-heading-southern-philippines

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Beware the Islamic State terrorists!

Thailand
Col. Pramote Promin, the Internal Security Operations spokesman said that the last 10 days of Ramadan are especially targeted by militant groups because of a belief that attacks during the holy period would offer more reward in the afterlife.

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6 July 2016

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9h9 hours ago

‘ militant taught Solo attacker to build bombs’

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Francis Chan Indonesia Bureau Chief In Jakarta

The suicide bomber who tried to attack a police station in the city of Solo in Central Java yesterday is believed to be Nur Rohman, a 30- year-old local from Sangkrah village in Solo.

National police chief Badrodin Haiti, who suggested earlier that the bomber could be Nur Rohman, said it would take two days for DNA testing to confirm his identity.

According to a source close to the investigation who asked not to be named, Nur Rohman learned to build bombs from Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian militant believed to have been fighting alongside the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group since early last year.

Bahrun remains in close contact with domestic terror cells and militants in Indonesia.

He is believed to have stayed in Sangkrah village before.

Nur Rohman was a member of a local terror cell led by an Indonesian militant named Arif Hidayatullah, alias Abu Musab.

Arif was arrested in a police raid on Dec 23 together with an Uighur named Ali, who also had plans to mount a suicide bombing.

Arif is now in a maximum-security facility in Kelapa Dua, not far from Jakarta.

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/isis-militant-taught-solo-attacker-to-build-bombs

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UN rights chief urges smart response to Islamic State terrorism

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Islamic State terrorists must be defeated with smart strategies rather than heavy-handed measures that could drive more people into the hands of the radicals, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said yesterday.
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“We need not just to be stronger than they are, but cleverer than they are,” the Jordanian UN rights chief said.

“And in this we are failing badly, not just in Iraq but in a variety of responses all over the world, enabling them to tap into resentments about heavy-handed or unlawful responses to recruit more followers, create more fanatics and suicide bombers,” Zeid warned.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/347817?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

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24 June 2016

IGP dares M’sian IS members overseas to come back

IGP: Expect more Islamic State attacks!

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5 July 2016

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3h3 hours ago

Police vow to hunt down threat-issuing militants

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Bukit Aman Special Branch director Mohamad Fuzi Harun said today the police would not compromise in the case of anyone trying to spread the IS ideology in the country.

“We will monitor all aspects, including YouTube video clips, a medium often used by this group to intimidate the people,” he told Bernama.

IS had reportedly declared war on Malaysia and Indonesia in released video clips where its militants had referred to the toppling of governments and leaders.

Mohamad Fuzi said the police would monitor every social media platforms available in the country.

He said that though the IS video clips could be a drama to intimidate the people in the country, the police took the matter seriously.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/347772

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2h2 hours ago

Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia suffer bomb attacks just days before Eid holiday

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Top news story
2h2 hours ago

Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia suffer bomb attacks just days before Eid holiday

Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia suffer bomb attacks just days before Eid holiday

A suicide bomber blew himself up in the early hours of Tuesday morning local time in Surakarta, Indonesia (also called Solo), according to Indonesian authorities.

The attack, which occurred at a police headquarters, wounded one policeman but there were no fatalities.

The police told the press that the bomber rode in on a motorcycle, and blew himself up when trying to get away from security personnel who had stopped him from entering the premises. Police have identified the suicide bomber as 30-year-old Nur Rohman.
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The bombing comes just one day before the Eid al-Fitr holiday Wednesday that marks the end of the Ramadan fasting month for Muslims.

Maj. Gen. Condro Kirono, chief of Central Java Police, said authorities believe the attack was carried out by a militant network that targets police and other security forces.
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Bombs in Muslim-majority south Thailand

A car bomb at a military checkpoint blew up on Tuesday afternoon local time in the south Thailand city of Pattani, injuring several police officers.
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The attack follows another bombing on Sunday evening outside Pattani’s central mosque that killed a policeman, and wounded two other officers and a civilian.

The policeman was directing traffic when the bomb detonated.

Hundreds of Muslims were in the mosque breaking fast when the blast occurred.

Col. Pramote Promin, the Internal Security Operations spokesman, was quoted explaining that the last 10 days of Ramadan are especially targeted by militant groups because of a belief that attacks during the holy period would offer more reward in the afterlife.
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Malaysia suffers first ISIS attack

The attacks on Indonesia and Thailand follow a grenade blast in a Malaysian bar last week that injured eight. Police said on Monday that it was the first successful attack in the country by ISIS.
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Police initially labelled the June 28 explosion at the Movida bar in the capital of Kuala Lumpur as a revenge or target killing, but investigations later revealed it was carried out by the militant group.

Fifteen people have been detained in relation to the attack. These include two factory workers who allegedly committed the crime, as well as two low-level policemen.

National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said one of the policemen had planned to carry out robberies to help fund an Islamic State cell, while the other was protecting a senior militant member from detection.

Police said in addition to targeting popular nightspots, the suspects also had senior government officials including Prime Minister Najib Razak in their crosshairs.

http://mashable.com/2016/07/05/indonesia-malaysia-thailand-attacks/#e.wd4gZsXZqb

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36m36 minutes ago

Bomb wounds 2 border police in Pattani.

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Jul 3

Southern train services to the Deep South of still disrupted by bomb explosion

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Jun 29

Bomb kills one soldier, wounds three in Narathiwat.

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5 July 2016

3h3 hours ago

[UPDATE] Suspected militant dies in suicide bombing

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JAKARTA: Indonesian police said a suspected militant died in a suicide bombing attack Tuesday outside police headquarters in the city of Solo.
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One policeman sustained minor injuries in the attack that unfolded about 7.30 am local time.
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Maj. Gen. Condro Kirono, chief of Central Java Police, said authorities believe the attack was carried out by a militant network that targets police and other security forces.
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“This was done by terrorism networks that continue to regenerate. Whether it is an old or new network will be revealed by the investigation,” he said.
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TV footage showed a limited amount of damage on the street and a partially destroyed motorcycle.

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/07/156793/update-suspected-militant-dies-indonesia-suicide-bombing

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KUALA LUMPUR: THE leader ofMalaysian Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria, hours after the bombing of the Movida entertainment outlet in Puchong, warned of bigger attacks to come, but experts believe members of the terror group here do not have the resources.
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Speaking to the New Straits Times via a social media website, Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi had said the attack on Movida was a warning against the government to stop its crackdown against IS.
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He said a larger-scale attack might be imminent if authorities continued to use the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) to “punish” IS members in Malaysia.
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Wanndy boasted to the NST that the June 28 incident, which saw eight people injured, was only a small-scale attack compared with what it planned to carry out in the future.
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“If the Malaysian government continues with their arrogant actions and punish Sosma detainees as they wish, it is not impossible that we will opt to use SVBIED (suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive device).”
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Counterterrorism experts, however, told the NST that it was unlikely IS members here had the resources to carry out an SVBIED attack.
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A source said any IS cell here would likely be unable to get their hands on sufficient explosives for such an attack. The source said IS members here also lacked the expertise and technical know-how to rig a vehicle with an IED.

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/07/156787/warns-more-attacks-malaysia

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26 June 2016

Jun 26

The Nation front page story: Two injured as huge bomb in pickup rocks Sungai Kolok

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