The United States plans to deploy Marines and special operations forces on high speed vessels along the Straits of Malacca to flush out terrorists in one of the world's busiest waterways. The deployment of US forces along the narrow straits straddling Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia is part of Washington's new counterterrorism initiative to help Southeast Asia, said Admiral Thomas Fargo, the top US military commander in the Asia-Pacific region.
| Yar! Clean out the pirates, by Gar! Where's me letter o' marque and reprisal? 'Tis prize money, lads! |
The Regional Maritime Security Initiative is being devised by the US military to combat transnational threats like proliferation, terrorism, trafficking in humans and drugs, and piracy. It allows sharing of information and intelligence that puts standing operating procedures in place with Southeast Asian countries for effective action against terrorists and other criminals, Fargo said. "There is very large, widespread support for this initiative," said Fargo, who heads the Hawaii-based US Pacific Command, directing Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force operations across the vast region. Fargo said Southeast Asia was a "crucial front" in the US war on terrorism. "Destabilisation of the governments of this region, moderate, secular, and legitimately elected, and with large Muslim populations, would result in decades of danger and chaos," he said. |