TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Support for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group has deepened cooperation among extremists in maritime Southeast Asia, making it more important than ever for law enforcement agencies to have expertise on groups outside their own borders. A better understanding of developments in Mindanao is particularly urgent.
In relation to the issue, the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) recently released a report titled "Pro-ISIS Groups in Mindanao and Their Links to Indonesia and Malaysia" that focuses on four pro-ISIS groups in Mindanao and how it expand lists of operatives from neighboring countries.
The four groups include the Basilan-based faction of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG); Ansarul Khilafa Philippines (AKP); the Maute group in Lanao del Sur; and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). Each of these groups is known to have fighters, instructors, or had received funding from Indonesia and Malaysia in return for refuge, training sites, combat experience, or arms.
"Over the last two years, ISIS has provided a new basis for cooperation among extremists in the region," said Sidney Jones, IPAC director in the report. "That cooperation could take on a new importance as ISIS losses in the Middle East increase and the incentive to undertake violence elsewhere rises."
The report analyzes history behind Indonesia-Malaysia links and how it related to the four extremist groups. It also revealed that the groups’ support of ISIS was inseparable from how members of the groups has ties going back more than a decade to shared prison experience or fighting in the communal conflicts that erupted in Indonesia in 1999-2000.
The report also underlined is some evidence that the Maute group and the AKP have managed to use the appeal of the ISIS 'branding' to attract university students, raising concerns on the increasing likelihood of cross-regional contact.
More fighters could also be attracted to the Philippines as the jihad of choice as ISIS continues to suffer losses in Syria and Iraq. "As getting to Syria becomes increasingly difficult for Southeast Asian fighters, Mindanao may be the next best option," Jones said. "The difference is that it’s easier to get home."
MAHINDA ARKYASA