MORE COOPERATION NEEDED TO COUNTER GLOBAL THREAT OF TERRORISM: DR NG

As the international coalition wins the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Middle East, the threat of terrorism may be globalised further as "fighters from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and a few from Singapore will likely return to continue their violent plots at home".

"We therefore need to work even closer together, to deal with the globalised threat of terrorism," said Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the 12th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue held in Manama, Bahrain, from 9 to 11 Dec.

The reason, said Dr Ng, was simple: "To protect ourselves as well as others in the free world, we need to stop extremists from exporting terrorism." He also noted that Singapore had also done so against Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in the past.

Dr Ng was speaking at the conference's plenary session on Combating Extremism in the Middle East and Beyond, alongside his counterparts from France and Germany. The annual conference is a key security forum for the Gulf region which brings together senior defence, security and foreign affairs officials from around the world, in particular the Middle East, to discuss a range of security issues.

In his speech, he shared that countries in Southeast Asia were already working together through coordinated initiatives to counter transnational terrorist threats. For instance, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines started the Sulu Sea Trilateral Patrols in August this year to deal with piracy and terrorism in the Sulu Sea, which has traditionally been used by terrorists for the illegal movement of weapons and people.

He added: "Singapore has offered the assistance of the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) Information Fusion Centre to provide maritime information for these patrols."

Going forward, however, he noted that more needed to be done within the region and internationally and suggested three approaches to strengthen cooperation.

First, ASEAN and the regional countries need to intensify efforts "to combine resources, share intelligence, and build capacity and trust between our counter-terrorism agencies". Second, they need to work more closely with counter-terrorism agencies in the Middle East. Third, countries need to counter ISIS' spread of falsehoods and half-truths to win the ideological battle and "counteract ISIS' propaganda before more young lives are blighted".

Prior to attending the Manama Dialogue, Dr Ng visited SAF troops deployed in Kuwait as part of the counter-ISIS coalition on 9 Dec, where he met the 11-man Imagery Analysis Team (IAT) deployed at the Combined Joint Task Force Headquarters. The SAF has deployed an IAT in Kuwait since 2015, where they provide support to the coalition by processing raw images into useful intelligence products.

Speaking after the visit, Dr Ng underscored the valuable role of the IAT in the coalition. "Commanders that I have talked to expressed their deep appreciation for their professional work, for helping them make sure that they can disrupt ISIS operations in Iraq and Syria.

"Ever since we started these operations, the footprint of ISIS in Iraq and Syria has shrunk significantly and now key cities are under attack so that the coalition forces can liberate and bring back these cities for the mainstream governments," he said.

While in Bahrain, Dr Ng called on Bahrain's Prime Minister His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, as well as the Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Bahrain Defence Force His Royal Highness Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

On the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue, Dr Ng also had bilateral meetings with several leaders:

• Germany's Federal Minister of Defence Dr Urusla von der Leyen
• Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs His Excellency Sameh Shoukry
• Iraq's Vice-President His Excellency Ayad Allawi
• Kuwait's President of the Kuwaiti National Security Bureau Shiekh Thamer Ali Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah
• Saudi Arabia's Chairman of the Board for the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud
• United Arab Emirates' Minister of Foreign Affairs His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.