Philippines hosts Asean antiterror meet

Military antiterrorism experts in Southeast Asia are in Manila for the first ever military analysts intelligence exchange in the region.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines was chosen to host the inaugural Association of Southeast Asian Nations Militaries Analyst-to-Analyst Intelligence Exchange to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Defense and military chiefs in the region who met in Jakarta, Indonesia in March agreed to the Philippines’ proposal to hold such conference among Asean counterterrorism experts.

AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for intelligence Major General Francisco Cruz Jr. conceived the idea of bringing the region’s counterterrorism experts together.

He said the conference would “not only build ties and enhance networking between and among Asean military intelligence analysts but also strengthen military cooperation within the Asean region through sharing of best practices and lessons learned particularly in countering terrorism.”

A military spokesperson said each Asean member-state would send antiterrorism experts to the two-day conference “with the hope of laying the groundwork for future exchanges and information-sharing activities.”

Colonel Arnulfo Burgos Jr., AFP public affairs chief, said the experts would assess the current capabilities of identified terrorist groups within the region and evaluate the media’s role in promoting terrorist propaganda.

Finally the military experts will formulate a “regional approach in support of counterterrorism” by sharing best practices and experiences, Burgos said.