Malaysia: ASEAN countries must act in unison to stamp down terror groups

Malaysia's Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (Image from Internet)

Kuala Lumpur (IINA) – Malaysia's Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Tuesday called upon ASEAN countries to act in unison to stamp down Daesh-affiliated terrorist groups in the southern part of the Philippines and Thailand, UMNO Online reported.
The defense minister was speaking at the Putrajaya Forum 2016 under the theme of  "Regional Cooperation in Addressing Security Challenges", held in conjunction with the Defense Services Asia Exhibition.
Hishammuddin said the matter should not be taken lightly and ASEAN countries needed to be on their toes in dealing with these terror groups as they were mushrooming and creating hotspots and flashpoint in the region. He added that there was evidence of the unification of terrorist battalions in the southern Philippines with the Daesh under the leadership of Al Baghdadi.
He said the news was alarming for Malaysia, especially when one considered that its eastern state of Sabah had come under attack in the past from militant groups from the southern Philippines, stressing that ASEAN should not lose sight of the fact that terrorism transcended race and religion.
“In fact, Daesh action continues to victimize the global Ummah in the sense that their misdeeds have created fear and suspicion amongst the faith communities in the world,” he added.
AB/IINA

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