Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
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Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses www.rsis.edu.sg ISSN 2382-6444 | Volume 10, Issue 11 | November 2018 A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM RESEARCH (CTR) Terrorism in Southeast Asia: The Need for Joint Counter-Terrorism Frameworks Ryamizard Ryacudu Participation of Children in Terrorist Attacks in Indonesia: A Possible Future Trend V. Arianti Counter-Terrorism Efforts in Spain Alberto Ballesteros Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses Volume 9, Issue 4 | April 2017 1 Building a Global Network for Security Editorial Note Need for Flexible and Adaptive Counter-Terrorism Policies The November issue features three articles children could become a trend in Indonesia’s highlighting the need for flexible and adaptive militant landscape. As many as 101 children counter-terrorism frameworks. In the digital from Indonesia have been trained by IS as age, rigid and bureaucratic models of counter- ‘cubs of caliphate’ in Iraq in 2017. The author terrorism slow the pace of Preventing and has examined the schooling of children in five Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) Jamaah Ansharud Daulah (JAD) operated interventions while giving an edge to violent madrassas (also known as Pesantren) in extremist groups. As such, contemporary South Java, South Sumatra and Central Wcounter-terrorism policies should focus on Sulawesi. These schools promote and gendered-specific roles, qualitative changes in inculcate a pro-IS ideology while providing terrorist-landscapes of different conflict employment to pro-IS individuals as teachers theatres and evolving tactics by violent- and administrators. The current anti-terror laws extremist groups. and other legal frameworks in Indonesia do not address the indoctrination of extremism In the lead article, Ryamizard Ryacudu towards children. Notwithstanding the underscores the need for intelligence sharing, significantly low number of pro-IS madrassas coordination and joint counter-terrorism in Indonesia, the author highlights the need for frameworks in Southeast Asia to overcome the joint government and civil society intervention ever-changing threat of terrorism. The author to curb the pro-IS indoctrination. notes that Southeast Asian threat landscape has evolved in two waves: Al-Qaeda-centric Lastly, Alberto Ballesteros explores structural and Islamic State-centric phases. The current and ideological differences between Euskadi landscape which comprises of the third Ta Askatasuna’s (ETA) nationalist-separatist generation of Islamist militants is decentralised terrorism and IS-inspired Islamist militancy in and necessitates collaborative efforts by Spain. The author argues that the counter- security agencies to prevent violence. As such, terrorism strategy which defeated ETA is adopting the Our Eyes Initiative (OEI) in outdated in the present struggle against October 2018 will facilitate strategic Islamist extremism. The author notes that information exchange among ASEAN Member Islamist militant groups’ focus on Spain is due States on terrorism, radicalism and violent- to the country’s history of being ruled by extremism as a template to create more Muslims (then known as Al-Andalus), Western/ regional platforms. As terrorists operate, train un-Islamic values and participation in and grow with networks transcending international military campaigns against Al- geographical boundaries networked efforts by Qaeda and IS. There is a need for holistic the nation-states at the regional level are counter-terrorism approaches to deal with the critical to defeat terrorism. challenges of Islamist extremism in Spain. Spanish authorities have relied extensively on V. Arianti examines the participation of intelligence gathering, sharing and children and their parents, in a wave of coordination, border security and other law- terrorist attacks in Surabaya in May 2018. The enforcement related measures. However, author notes that due to the institutionalised more focus on social integration and trust- indoctrination of children by groups affiliated building between the mainstream and with the Islamic State (IS), participation of marginalised communities is necessary. Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses Volume 9, Issue 4 | April 2017 2 ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Rohan Gunaratna Dr. Stephen Sloan Professor of Security Studies Professor Emeritus, Head of International Centre for Political The University of Oklahoma Violence and Terrorism Research Lawrence J. Chastang, Distinguished Professor ,Terrorism Studies, Dr. Jolene Jerard The University of Central Florida Research Fellow, Deputy Head of International Centre for Political Dr. Fernando Reinares Violence and Terrorism Research Director, Program on Global Terrorism, Elcano Royal Institute Professor of Security Dr. Kumar Ramakrishna Studies, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Associate Professor Madrid, Spain Head of Policy Studies & Coordinator of W Dr. John Harrison National Security Studies Programme Associate Editor Journal of Transportation Security Dr. Marcin Styszyński Assistant Professor, Adam Mickiewicz Uni- Dr. Hamoon Khelghat-Doost versity Senior Lecturer in Political Science Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies Science University of Malaysia EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Sara Mahmood Associate Editors Abdul Basit Jennifer Dhanaraj Amresh Gunasingham Editor Vijayalakshmi Menon Copy Editor Sylvene See Design and Layout Okkie Tanupradja The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not of ICPVTR, RSIS, NTU or the organisations to which the authors are affiliated. Articles may not be reproduced without prior permission. Please contact the editors for more information at [email protected]. The editorial team also welcomes any feedback or comments. Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses Volume 9, Issue 4 | April 2017 3 Terrorism in Southeast Asia: The Need for Joint Counter-Terrorism Frameworks Terrorism in Southeast Asia: The Need for Joint Counter-Terrorism Frameworks Ryamizard Ryacudu Recent developments in Iraq and Syria have third generation of jihadism in Southeast Asia. contributed to an evolving security At its peak in 2014, IS spread to parts of the environment, where the threat of terrorism has Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia, become more decentralised. This has led to particularly in Southeast Asia. The immediate sporadic waves of Islamic State (IS)-directed challenge that Southeast Asia faces from this and inspired attacks in Southeast Asia. third generation of terrorism is the return of Hence, there is a need for increased these FTFs from the Middle East. According intelligence sharing and coordination among to estimates from the United States (US), as the security agencies as well as joint Counter- many as 31,500 FTFs joined IS in Syria and Terrorism (CT) frameworks to overcome Iraq.2 According to the Indonesian Ministry of future challenges from violent-extremism. 1 Defence, an estimated 800 of them are from Southeast Asia, of which around 700 are from Introduction Indonesia alone. The threat of violent-extremism in Southeast In recent years, this IS-inspired generation of Asia has evolved in two distinct phases: the militants have carried out terrorist attacks in al-Qaeda centric phase and the IS-centric different parts of Southeast Asia including the phase. During the al-Qaeda-centric phase, as Thamrin attack in Indonesia in 2016, the many as 400 terrorist fighters from the region Movida club attack in Malaysia in the same headed to Afghanistan and Pakistan where year and the Marawi siege in Philippines in they gained combat training and experience 2017. Unlike al Qaeda and JI in the early before returning home. These fighters created 2000s which operated discretely, IS, through Jemaah Salafiyyah in Thailand, Kumpulan its use of graphic videos, speeches and attack Militan Malaysia (KMM), Abu Sayyaf Group methods, has opted for open and (ASG) in the Philippines, and Jemaah indiscriminate warfare. Islamiyah (JI) in Singapore and Indonesia. Moreover, several terrorist plots have since In the IS-centric phase, IS-affiliated and been disrupted by the security agencies, associated groups such as Kumpulan Gagak including a plan to fly an explosive-laden Hitam and al Kubro Generation in Malaysia, drone into the police headquarters in Kuala Jamaah Ansharud Daulah in Indonesia and Lumpur, an attempt to mount a suicide attack Islamic State Lanao (Maute Group) and IS in against the State Palace in Jakarta as well as the Philippines emerged. Since mid-2014, at a plan to fire a rocket at Marina Bay Sands in least 63 groups in Southeast Asia have Singapore. The recent plots, which were pledged an oath of allegiance to IS leader Abu uncovered by the security agencies, indicate Bakr al Baghdadi. that these terrorists were planning to make anthrax and botulinum in Malaysia and ricin Following the decline of IS in Iraq and Syria, and thorium in Indonesia. In light of this, it is the threat of IS has evolved as it becomes evident that the terrorists are determined to more decentralised. This decentralisation destabilise the region and sustain a province phase of violent-extremism constitutes the 1 The article is an updated version of a speech Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), delivered by the Indonesia Defense Minister General Singapore on October 4, 2018. For the original (R) Ryamizard Ryacudu at the “2018 Southeast Asia version of the speech see: https://bit.ly/2qgv0PY. Counter-Terrorism Symposium: A Collective 2 US Department of State, “Country Reports on Approach.” The event was organised