ASEAN will step up counterterrorism measures

CLARK, the Philippines - Defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states have agreed to step up counterterrorism measures to prevent pro-Islamic State militant groups from gaining a stronghold in Southeast Asia.

At the end of their annual security meeting, the ASEAN ministers stressed the need to strongly address the "threat of radicalism" by making the peoples of the ASEAN aware of the perils of violent extremism.

In a joint declaration issued at the end of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting, the ministers emphasized the need "to enhance regional cooperation through intelligence and information sharing, increasing surveillance, and promoting awareness among the public about the threat of radicalism".

They also vowed to collectively combat terrorism "in all its forms and manifestations in accordance with the ASEAN Convention on Counterterrorism and ASEAN Comprehensive Plan of Action on Counterterrorism as well as identify ways to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation among ASEAN defense establishments".

They also expressed "full support for the Philippines' efforts to address the security and humanitarian situation" in the southern city of Marawi, where government security forces and pro-Islamic State fighters were locked in fierce five-month urban warfare that killed nearly 1,200.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday announced the end of "all combat operations" in Marawi, saying the city has been cleared of the last terrorist.

Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne said on Tuesday that Canberra will deploy its forces to train Filipino troops on urban warfare following the Marawi siege.

Australia is helping the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries in Southeast Asia to keep track of returning Asian militants who have fought for extremist groups in Syria and Iraq, she said.

"They are battle-trained, they are battle-hardened, they are extremists of the highest order who have been prepared to do the most appalling things using civilians as human shield, using civilians as collateral in their efforts to try and pursue their perverted ideology," Payne said.

Established in 2006, the ADMM is the highest defense consultative and cooperative mechanism in the ASEAN.

Xinhua - Ap