KUALA LUMPUR: Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein voiced concerns over the looming threat of the Islamic State (IS) terror group at a breakfast meeting with his Asean counterparts.
At the meeting, held before the start of the three-day Asean Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) at Clark in Pampanga, the Philippines, Hishammuddin said a military approach alone was insufficient to stop IS.
“The sobering fact is that there are no good military options in our fight against (IS). Neither counter-terrorism, nor counterinsurgency, nor conventional warfare is likely to afford us a clear-cut victory against the group.
“For the time being, at least, the policy that best matches ends and means, is one of offensive containment: combining a limited military campaign with a major diplomatic and economic effort to weaken IS and align the interests of the many countries that are threatened by the group’s advance.”
Hishammuddin said the threat could also not be met by one country alone as the problem “does not respect national borders”.
“It is not enough to stop terrorist attacks — we must also defeat and discredit the arguments that are used to justify them.”
Hishammuddin also pointed out that the humanitarian crisis faced by the Rohingya community in Myanmar could possibly make them prime targets for recruitment by IS and other militant groups in the region.
The breakfast session, which was initiated by Hishammuddin, was used as a platform to discuss efforts to address the threats of extremism, radicalisation and terrorism in the region.
Philippine National Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and his team were also asked to brief the gathering on military operations against IS-led militants in Marawi in the southern Philippines.
Hishammuddin said threats to security had changed dramatically since the inaugural ADMM in 2006.
“In the span of 11 years, the security dynamics of our region have evolved significantly with threats of the Islamic State and cyber-threats looming. Therefore, in facing such challenges, we must no longer operate in silos.
“We must be firm and bold, yet strategic and concerted in our approach when dealing with extremists and militants who take up their cause all in the name of religion.”
Hishammuddin said while military gains were being made against IS in Syria and Iraq, the disturbing prospect was that the Asia-Pacific region was now in the terrorist group’s “cross-hairs”.
“This threat to our region is real and multidimensional, whether from returning fighters, regional franchises or, more disturbingly, from self-radicalised lone wolves. There is a grave danger that existing fault-lines in our region will be exploited as well as exacerbated by (IS’s) increasing presence,” he said, adding that the regional bloc did not have to look far as the Philippines was already facing attacks from IS.