There is no doubt that the Islamic State (IS) is here to stay. It’s the only conclusion one can make after seven men were arrested over their plan to launch strikes on strategic locations in this country.
It is no longer about the group’s ability to strike, or where, so soon after the attacks in Jakarta, but what IS is willing to do to achieve the dream of establishing a caliphate that currently exists in pockets in the Middle East.
The signs are that there might be a chance for a new IS pocket to emerge in Southeast Asia and other regions as some people continuously hype Sunni and Shia animosity, and with some parts in this region already experiencing religious extremism and militancy from time to time.
The attacks in Jakarta where eight people were killed were the latest by the group, which was interpreted as an indication that IS already has a sizeable influence in this part of the world, too.
One might frown but it has been reported worldwide that some women chose to travel to Syria to marry IS members in the hope they would be rewarded in the hereafter.
With social media assistance, IS is able to relay their message and propaganda to all and sundry, globally and in real time. And, the effectiveness is obvious with some recruits from Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia participating in the war front in Syria with IS militants, even taking the lead role in some instances.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his deputy, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, are right in asking everybody to work together to protect the country from IS.
Analysts quoted by the Jakarta Post listed three reasons why IS needed to be stopped by both Muslims and non-Muslims based on certain characteristics of the latest attacks.
If not countered effectively, we have to brace for more attacks from the group and their sympathisers not only in Southeast Asia, but also elsewhere.
ONE, IS espouses the takfiri ideology that views non-adherents as infidels, including Muslims who do not share their objectives and ideology. Victims of IS attacks also include Muslims. If I remember correctly, one of the early IS brutal slaying involved a Jordanian fighter pilot;
TWO, IS does not care about the number of casualties as its main objective is to sow fear which is palpable now, which causes even Donald Trump to panic after the San Bernardino attack last November; and,
THREE, IS is using the 2008 Mumbai and Paris attacks’ template, where an assault involved suicide bombers and shooters that targeted government, security officials and foreign interests.
Look at how the Jakarta attacks unfolded. Two explosions in the business and shopping district rocked the capital followed by an attack on a police post and a Starbucks cafe using grenades and handguns.
Also, a recent study by S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies found that a military unit within IS fighting in Syria has been established called Khatibah Nusantara, which captured five Kurd-held territories in April last year.
Another report said the unit was led by an Emir and dominated by Indonesians with help from some Malaysians.
It is added proof that IS has started building a regional process to establish a network intended to support an IS-administered province here in Southeast Asia. Therefore, the onus is on the security agencies in the region to find a way to overcome this threat.
It has to be said that Malaysian police are aware of the danger and have acted accordingly by monitoring and apprehending people who wanted to join the war front in Syria.
However, the police cannot for one second underestimate IS. Not when a man can turn up at the Defence Ministry claiming to be carrying a bomb and an IS member. Later, he was found to be mentally unstable.
It is reported that about 1,000 citizens of this region are fighting in Syria with 2,000 to 3,000 in training. Then, we were told that 27 Bangladeshi workers who were planning terror attacks back home have been arrested in the largest security crackdown in Singapore in 15 years.
All but one of the construction workers, aged between 25 and 40, were deported last month, said the Home Affairs Ministry, another piece of evidence on the ever increasing tentacles of IS.
Looks like while the big powers are bombing IS in Syria, the terror group is busy recruiting members and executing attacks in other places. A cat-and- mouse game, it is. Or is it a classic distraction tactic?
For the most part, and this is where it’s scary — IS seems to have members who can pull off big- and small-scale attacks. They plan and improvise as needed before launching their assault.
The Middle East is where they received their training. The war front is not just in Syria. Libya, Yemen and Iraq, and now, some of their members are apprehended here.
The war front has changed. It’s not only the Middle East. Just look at all the locations IS militants have attacked and those that failed because of quick intervention by the authorities. You get my drift.
Azman Abdul Hamid is the ‘Berita Harian’ Features and Op-ed editor