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Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines begin joint sea patrols against IS
 [FMT] Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia started joint sea operations to hinder piracy and counter the growing threat of terrorism on Monday.The "Indomalphi" tripartite defense patrols kicked off aboard an Indonesian warship anchored at a port in Tarakan city during a ceremony attended by defense ministers from the three nations. The joint operations will cover the Celebes Sea, where the three countries share maritime borders, and the nearby Sulu Sea. The joint patrols follow a series of abductions in the Sulu Sea where the Abu Sayyaf seized Indonesian ship crew members and other victims and held them for ransom. Indonesian and Malaysian security officials also fear that terrorists from the fighting in Marawi may flee to nearby areas in the two countries. Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said, "What's happening in Mindanao can also happen in Malaysia and Indonesia," adding that the threat from Islamic State is real and must be tackled together. Indonesia on Monday also inaugurated a maritime command center in the naval base of Tarakan, a town in the province of North Kalimantan on Borneo island. Its defense minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said the joint operations patrols would continue indefinitely until the problems of terrorism and piracy around the three nations’ borders end. Indonesian National Armed Forces commander Gen Gatot Nurmantyo said in addition to naval ships, the operations would also include the three nations’ armies, air forces, and navies, and will involve reconnaissance aircraft, a submarine, and fighter jets. Nurmantyo hoped that Singapore and Brunei, whose top security officials were also present at Monday's event, would join the operations. Earlier in the day, Nurmantyo, along with his Malaysian and Philippine counterparts, inaugurated an intelligence-sharing military command centre in Tarakan. Similar centers will be built in nearby Tawau, a city in the east coast of Sabah, and Bongao, an outlying region in the southern Philippines. Posted by: ryuge 2017-06-21 |
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