Rilek1Corner

Tag: Syria

  • Ominous signs of an Asian hub for Islamic State in the Philippines

    Ominous signs of an Asian hub for Islamic State in the Philippines

    Dozens of foreign jihadis have fought side-by-side with Islamic State sympathizers against security forces in the southern Philippines over the past week, evidence that the restive region is fast becoming an Asian hub for the ultra-radical group.

    A Philippines intelligence source said that of the 400-500 marauding fighters who overran Marawi City on the island of Mindanao last Tuesday, as many as 40 had recently come from overseas, including from countries in the Middle East.

    The source said they included Indonesians, Malaysians, at least one Pakistani, a Saudi, a Chechen, a Yemeni, an Indian, a Moroccan and one man with a Turkish passport.

    “IS is shrinking in Iraq and Syria, and decentralizing in parts of Asia and the Middle East,” said Rohan Gunaratna, a security expert at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

    “One of the areas where it is expanding is Southeast Asia and the Philippines is the center of gravity.”

    Mindanao has been roiled for decades by bandits, local insurgencies and separatist movements. But officials have long warned that the poverty, lawlessness and porous borders of Mindanao’s predominantly Muslim areas mean it could become a base for radicals from Southeast Asia and beyond, especially as Islamic State fighters are driven out of Iraq and Syria.

    Although Islamic State and groups affiliated to the movement have claimed several attacks across Southeast Asia in the last two years, the battle in Marawi City was the first long drawn-out confrontation with security forces.

    On Tuesday, a week after the fighting began, the government said it was close to retaking the city. As helicopters circled, troops cleared rebel positions amid explosions and automatic gunfire, moving house by house and street by street.[nL3N1IW1FS]

    Last year, Southeast Asian militants fighting for Islamic State in Syria released a video urging their countrymen to join the cause in the southern Philippines or launch attacks at home rather than attempting to travel to Syria.

    Jakarta-based terrorism expert Sidney Jones passed to Reuters some recent messages in a chatroom of the Telegram app used by Islamic State supporters.

    In one, a user reported that he was in the heart of Marawi City where he could see the army “run like pigs” and “their filthy blood mix with the dead bodies of their comrades”.

    He asked others in the group to pass information on to the Amaq News Agency, a mouthpiece for Islamic State.

    Another user replied, using an Arabic word meaning pilgrimage: “Hijrah to the Philippines. Door is opening.”

    The clash in Marawi City began with an army raid to capture Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of Abu Sayyaf, a group notorious for piracy and for kidnapping and beheading Westerners.

    Abu Sayyaf and a relatively new group called Maute, both of which have pledged allegiance to Islamic State, have fought alongside each other in Marawi City, torching a hospital and a cathedral, and kidnapping a Catholic priest.

    The urban battle prompted Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to impose martial law across the whole island of Mindanao, an area roughly the size of South Korea with a population of around 21 million.

    FIGHTERS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST

    The head of the Malaysian police force’s counter-terrorism division, Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, named four Malaysians who are known to have traveled to Mindanao to join militant groups.

    Among them were Mahmud Ahmad, a Malaysian university lecturer who is poised to take over the leadership of Islamic State in the southern Philippines if Hapilon is killed, he said.

    Security expert Gunaratna said that Ahmad has played a key role in establishing Islamic State’s platform in the region.

    According to his school’s research, eight of 33 militants killed in the first four days of fighting in Marawi City were foreigners.

    “This indicates that foreign terrorist fighters form an unusually high component of the IS fighters and emerging IS demography in Southeast Asia,” Gunaratna said.

    According to an intelligence brief seen by Reuters, authorities in Jakarta believe 38 Indonesians traveled to the southern Philippines to join Islamic State-affiliated groups and about 22 of them joined the fighting in Marawi City.

    However, an Indonesian law-enforcement source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the actual number of Indonesians involved in the battle could be more than 40.

    Indonesia officials believe some militants might have slipped into Marawi City under the cover of an annual gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat just days before the fighting erupted. The Tablighi Jamaat is a Sunni missionary movement that is non-political and encourages Muslims to become more pure.

    An Indonesian anti-terrorism squad source told Reuters that authorities have beefed up surveillance at the northern end of the Kalimantan and Sulawesi regions to stop would-be fighters traveling by sea to the southern Philippines and to prevent an influx of others fleeing the military offensive in Marawi City.

    “The distance between Marawi and Indonesian territory is just five hours,” the source said. “It should not get to the point where they are entering our territory and carrying out such (militant) activities.”

     

    Source: http://www.todayonline.com

  • Defeat Of Rebels Could Spell More Trouble For Southeast Asia

    Defeat Of Rebels Could Spell More Trouble For Southeast Asia

    Like the stirring of a hornet’s nest — as an expert here put it — the imminent defeat of Islamist militants in the southern Philippine city of Marawi could pose a bigger problem further down the road, terrorism analysts said yesterday.

    What was previously largely contained in the Philippines could escalate into a security nightmare for the region if the militants regroup in other areas near the Sulu Sea such as eastern Malaysia, and parts of Indonesia, said S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) research fellow Graham Ong-Webb.

    Dr Rohan Gunaratna, who heads RSIS’ International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, also warned that if “regional governments fail to contain the threat, (the problem) will spill over into Singapore”.

    The Philippine military said yesterday it was close to retaking Marawi, which was held for a seventh day by the militants. More than 100 people have been killed, most of them militants, according to the military, and most of the city’s residents have fled.

    Last month, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam underscored the growing terrorist threat in Singapore’s backyard, and warned that the southern Philippines, which is less than a four-hour flight away from Singapore, was becoming a sanctuary for returning fighters from the Middle East and from where attacks could be launched on South-east Asia.

    Speaking at an international exhibition on homeland security held here, Mr Shanmugam noted that, with the Islamic State (IS) losing ground in Iraq and Syria, the “potential locus of the threat” could move closer to home.

    Similarly, there could be unintended fallout from the efforts of the Philippine authorities to drive the militants, who consist of both local and foreign fighters from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, out of their country.

    Dr Graham Ong-Webb noted that if the militants were “pushed to a corner”, they could flee the Philippines, and “find pockets elsewhere” to re-establish themselves. Using an analogy of a hornet’s nest, he pointed out that when the nest is provoked, the hornets “either attack, or … surrender, die fighting, or … fly to another location to rebuild their nest”.

    Given its size, Indonesia, for example, could potentially provide hideouts for fleeing militants to reorganise and hit back, with the help of traditional insurgents which could morph into terrorist groups “if they find it to be in their interest”.

    “It is difficult (for Indonesia) to consolidate internal security, and there (could be) pockets of insecurity, or lawlessness,” said Dr Ong-Webb.

    Assoc Prof Kumar Ramakrishna, head of Policy Studies and coordinator of the National Security Studies Programme at RSIS, noted that West and Central Java, as well as Central Sulawesi, may be “fertile socioeconomic and political ground for IS ideology to take root”. He also cited southern Thailand, where there is an ongoing insurgency. While the Thai-Muslim separatists have been “not that interested” in broader agendas such as those perpetuated by Al Qaeda or Jemaah Islamiyah, the insurgency in southern Thailand could provide a source of weapons for IS cells in Malaysia, Assoc Prof Kumar said.

    Assoc Prof Kumar said the Mindanao region “has arguably been a weak link for decades”. The fighting in Marawi, which is located on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, confirmed Mr Shanmugam’s concerns, he added.

    The analysts reiterated that Singapore is a prime target for terrorists, and the fierce fighting that broke out in Marawi showed that Singapore should not take security for granted.

    “Singapore is a symbol of financial and economic success, any successful attack on Singapore by terrorists would be deemed a terrorists’ jackpot,” said Assoc Prof Antonio Rappa, who heads the Management and Security Studies programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences. Last week, a suicide bombing at a Jakarta bus station killed at least three policemen and injured 12 others. The IS has claimed responsibility for the attack.

    Each successful attack in the region would embolden the terrorists, said Assoc Prof Rappa. “The weak links lie outside Singapore’s borders. In the neighbouring states, there is often a lack of sufficient public education and a high amount of security complacency,” he said.

    Lauding the establishment of the SGSecure movement, Dr Gunaratna said Singapore “should work to create competencies in the region to fight the threat”, and beef up defences against IS’ online propaganda. “The Government of Singapore needs to play a greater role to build the offshore counter terrorism operational capabilities,” he said.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Malaysia Tidak Berhasrat Bawa Pulang Ketua Militan ISIS Asia Tenggara, Muhammad Wanndy

    Malaysia Tidak Berhasrat Bawa Pulang Ketua Militan ISIS Asia Tenggara, Muhammad Wanndy

    Malaysia tidak berhasrat untuk membawa pulang jenazah ketua militan ISIS Asia Tenggara Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi yang disahkan terbunuh di Syria.

    Demikian menurut Timbalan Perdana Menteri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

    Bagaimanapun, beliau berkata keluarga Muhammad Wanndy boleh berbuat demikian dengan perlu berbincang dan berurusan dengan pihak berkuasa di Syria.

    “Kerajaan Malaysia dimaklumkan oleh pihak risikan antarabangsa berkenaan kematian Muhammad Wanndy dalam satu serangan dron.

    “Kerajaan Malaysia tidak ada perancangan untuk membawa pulang jenazahnya. Pihak keluarga (Muhammad Wanndy) boleh berbincang dengan pihak berkuasa di sana (Syria) (untuk membawa pulang jenazah),” katanya.

    Encik Ahmad Zahid yang juga Menteri Dalam Negeri Malaysia dan kini dalam rangka lawatan kerja tiga hari di Australia bermula Ahad lalu, berkata demikian kepada wartawan Malaysia hari ini ketika ditanya tentang warga Malaysia itu yang dilaporkan terbunuh dalam satu serangan di Raqqa, Syria pada 29 April lalu.

    Ketua Polis Negara Khalid Abu Bakar mengesahkan perkara itu di laman rasmi Twitter semalam selepas membuat penelitian terhadap maklumat yang diperoleh.

    Pada 29 April lalu, berita kematian Muhammad Wanndy viral di laman sosial selepas isterinya Nor Mahmudah Ahmad, 28 tahun, memuat naik status dalam laman Facebook memaklumkan suaminya itu meninggal dunia dalam satu serangan dron.

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg/

  • Experts Not Convinced Malaysian IS Terrorist Muhammad Wanndy Is Dead

    Experts Not Convinced Malaysian IS Terrorist Muhammad Wanndy Is Dead

    KUALA LUMPUR: Security officials, reacting to a Facebook post by the wife of notorious Islamic State (IS) terrorist Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi that he is dead, doubt its accuracy.

    “This is probably a ruse by Mu­­hammad Wanndy to escape from those on his heels,” said a source.

    The source said Muhammad Wann­dy, 27, had probably staged his own death to “emerge as a new person” and avoid detection.

    “He is really desperate and will try anything,’’ the source added.

    News of Muhammad Wanndy’s alleged death on Saturday was triggered by a Facebook post by Nor Mahmudah Ahmad, 28, that day.

    She said Muhammad Wanndy could have been killed in Syria in a drone strike.

    Stating that she accepted her husband’s fate, she vowed to carry on with his struggle in Syria.

    “My Mujahid, finally it is your time to go. I will remain here and carry on with the work you started. I accept this as fate,” Nor Mah­mudah wrote in her latest posting.

    (A mujahid is one engaged in a jihad, especially as a guerrilla war­rior.)

    Muhammad Wanndy, who is from Durian Tunggal in Malacca, left for Syria in 2014 with Nor Mahmudah.

    Known as a top IS recruiter, he is on the United States’ most wanted list for his involvement in funding and providing operational support for the terror group.

    In an exclusive report in The Star on Wednesday, intelligence sources were quoted as having said that Muhammad Wanndy had lost the faith of IS militants as he had failed to carry out attacks in Malaysia as planned.

    The report stated that Muhammad Wanndy had “limited time” to try and con­vince his Syrian leaders of his ability to conduct terror attacks.

    One source had said that he had until the end of the year to prove himself, or risk having his status as the IS’ Malay­sian leader stripped.

    Sources said yesterday that seve­ral Malaysian and Indonesian militants were unhappy with Muham­mad Wanndy as he had used up sympathisers’ donations.

    “Fellow IS fighters in Raqqa are looking for him. He has been on the run for about two weeks,” said a source.

    Other militants also took to social media to post pictures of the car that Muhammad Wanndy allegedly was in when the drone attack happened.

    “Even the wordings in his wife’s post sounds more like Muhammad Wanndy’s writing,” said a source.

    The source added that Muham­mad Wann­dy was the mastermind be­­hind many failed IS attacks in Malay­sia “and he is not a fighter in Syria”.

    “It was long suspected that he used funds donated towards the IS cause to settle his family expenses in Syria and other debts.

    “He cleverly used the IS platform for his own gain. His cover has been blown open,” said the source.

    It is believed that Muhammad Wanndy, also known as Abu Hamzah Al-Fateh, had accumulated RM100,000 in donations from sympathisers.

    “He used some of it to fund attacks in Malaysia but most was for his own use.

    “It can be said that he enjoyed life in Syria while others did the fighting for him,” another source said.

    Bukit Aman Special Branch director Comm Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said they were trying to find out whether Muhammad Wanndy was in fact dead.

    “We are checking. We want to know quickly,’’ he added.

    Comm Mohamad Fuzi had said earlier that the Counter Terrorism Division was working closely with the United States to hunt down Muhammad Wanndy, who has been on Bukit Aman’s wanted list for the past two years.

     

    Source: www.thestar.com.my

     

  • ISIS’ Malaysian Head Running Out Of Time

    ISIS’ Malaysian Head Running Out Of Time

    Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi is desperate to retain his title as the top Malaysian Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operative, despite the terror network having lost faith in him.

    “He has failed to carry out attacks in Malaysia as planned. This has infuriated its (ISIS) Syrian and Iraqi leaders,” an intelligence source told The Star.

    Among the botched ISIS attacks in the country was the Movida nightclub bombing in Puchong, Selangor, last May. Eight people were injured in the attack.

    Last month, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said Wanndy was still working to expand ISIS influence in Malaysia.

    According to the source, Wanndy has “limited time” to try and convince his Syrian leaders of his ability to conduct terror attacks. “He has been given until the end of the year, or risks having his stature as the ISIS’ Malaysian leader stripped,” said the source.

    The source said that due to his predicament, Wanndy will go all out to prove his mettle by staging bombings at targeted spots in Malaysia. Wanndy and his 26-year-old wife left for Syria in January last year, and the former is believed to be based in Raqqa, ISIS’ de facto capital.

    He is said to have sought the help of Syrian ISIS leaders for hackers to penetrate Malaysia’s social media network.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg