CANADA and Australia on Sunday assured their support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in its fight against violent extremism.
“I would like to express my condolences to the Philippines for those killed in Marawi by Daesh-inspired terrorists,” said Canadian Foreign Minister Chyristia Freeland, referring to the Islamic State (IS) by its Arabic acronym.
“This is a horror that we are not immune to and we stand in solidarity in fighting these forces,”she said.
Speaking at the Asean-Canada Ministerial Meeting, Freeland said Canada remains a staunch partner of the 10-member bloc in the fight against terrorism.
“We have been working with you to address regional security issues, preventing violent extremism. We are a founding member of the global terrorism task force. We are in a strong position to help Asean in the shared fight to prevent terrorism,” she added.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop noted that extremist threats present an opportunity to deepen ties between Australia and the Asean.
“Terrorism and violent extremism transcends national boundaries and directly threaten regional security as we’re seeing in Marawi,” Bishop said during the Asean-Australia Ministerial Meeting.
She also expressed alarm at North Korea’s development of ballistic missiles, which “is in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions” and “a direct threat to us all.”
She also warned against the ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea, which is destabilizing the situation by increasing tension between nations.
As fighting in Marawi City reached its 76th day on Sunday, military clearing operations have so far accounted for 523 Maute group terrorists killed along with 122 government troops killed in action.
Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, Armed Forces spokesman, said the death toll was as of 7 p.m. Saturday.
Fighting in Marawi City broke out after government forces tried to arrest Abu Sayyaf leader and IS “emir” in Southeast Asia on May 23.
The request of President Rodrigo Duterte for additional 20,000 troops is part of the intensified security posture to guard areas in the country where there are continuing security threats, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said Sunday.
“The deployment of troops to Marawi and other points in Mindanao needs to be rebalanced to ensure maximum effectiveness,” said Abella.
Duterte asked lawmakers for funds to recruit 20,000 new soldiers to battle rising threats from pro-Islamic State militants in the country’s restive south, senators said on Wednesday.
Duterte called an urgent meeting with a group of senators on Tuesday night, sharing with them the latest intelligence reports on plans by Muslim extremists to attack three cities in Mindanao.
“He wanted to relay to us that he needs 20,000 more soldiers for the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III.
“He wants to make sure that in his tenure, he will be able to resolve the problem of peace and order,” Sotto also said.
Three other senators said the President was serious about the scale of the security threat and asked Congress for support to fund his plan to upgrade the military’s equipment and intelligence capabilities.
They declined to say which three cities were being threatened.
A large area of Marawi has been devastated by almost daily artillery shelling and aerial bombings to try to dislodge militants holed up in the commercial center who are believed to be holding as many as 100 hostages.
More than 600 rebels and soldiers have been killed in the unrest.
Duterte last month submitted to Congress a budget of P3.76 trillion for next year, including P145 billion for the defense.
“We’re willing to help,” said Senator Panfilo Lacson, adding that soldiers were battle-weary after two months of fighting in Marawi.
“We need fresh legs, so in legislation we can help by fast-tracking the budget to increase the troop ceiling,” Lacson also said.
Lacson said the President also asked to boost the police force by 10,000 men, recruiting more to be deployed as commandos to help the military fight insurgents. With Bill Casas