IS galvanized in Asia by Marawi City siege, report says
This undated file image posted on a militant website on Jan. 14, 2014, shows fighters from the al-Qaida linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) marching in Raqqa, Syria. AP File Photo/militant website
JAKARTA, Indonesia—A top terrorism researcher says the attack by the Islamic State group-affiliated militants in the Philippine’s Marawi City has galvanized the international terror group’s Southeast Asian supporters and spells trouble for the region.
The latest report by Sidney Jones, director of the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, was released Friday as the occupation of Marawi, an Islamic city in Mindanao, nears two months despite a sustained military counterattack, which also includes air strikes.
Jones said with these unfolding incidents, there now may be a higher risk of attacks in other Philippine cities, and that cooperation between militants across regional borders could expand.
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She said militants in Indonesia and Malaysia could redouble efforts to attack police and may also target foreigners.
She added that photos posted by militants on social media during the initial assault “strengthened the desire of ISIS supporters in the region to join the battle.” JPV/rga
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