Indonesia, Philippines Intensively Monitror ISIS Movement

Jakarta, (Antara) - The governments of Indonesia and the Philippines are intensively communicating to monitor the developments of the ISIS movement in Marawi, southern Philippines.

Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu revealed that every two days, his staff and the personal team of the Philippines' Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana communicate to exchange the latest information on ISIS.

"Through such communication, we hope to minimize ISIS' spread in the Philippines and anticipate any of its impacts on other countries in the region," Ryacudu said here on Thursday.

Trilateral cooperation, involving Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, has yet to make any significant progress apart from tightening border security in Marawi through coordinated patrols.

According to Ryacudu, sea and air patrols aim to restrict the ISIS members from leaving Marawi.

Since terrorism is a common enemy, it is not the sole responsibility of the armed forces to counter this menace, but the police and counterterrorism agencies should also play a role.

The result of the trilateral ministerial meeting on counterterrorism currently held in Manila will decide whether the Indonesian National Police and National Counterterrorism Agency will be involved in resolving the conflict in Marawi.

Ryacudu stated that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had, in fact, agreed to involve additional military forces from Indonesia.

However, the Philippines' Constitution prohibits the involvement of foreign military forces to operate in its sovereign territory.(*)