ADDITIONAL TROOPS. The newly-deployed soldiers in Northern Samar province during a welcome ceremony in Palo town, Leyte province on Feb. 20, 2023. The soldiers are tasked to help suppress the New People's Army in Northern Samar, considered the last bastion of insurgency in the country.(PNA photo by Sarwell Meniano) PALO, Leyte - The Philippine Army has welcomed the arrival of two battalions from Mindanao tasked to help suppress the New People's Army (NPA) in Northern Samar province, considered the last bastion of insurgency in the country. The Army's 8th Infantry Division formally welcomed around 1,000 soldiers from the 74th Infantry Battalion (IB) and 42nd IB during a ceremony at the Government Center here late Monday. Before their deployment in the region, the 74th IB troopers fought the Abu Sayyaf Group in Basilan province. The unit also took part in the campaigns of the Western Mindanao Command under the Operational Control of Joint Task Force Zamboanga. The 42nd IB was
[Wahono/BenarNews]
Perhaps the only positive thing about the COVID-19 pandemic is that it led to a decline in politically motivated violence in South and Southeast Asia in 2020.
There were hardly any major terrorist attacks and most of the primary secessionist insurgencies were less violent than in years past. The notable exception was the Arakan Army in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
The disarray of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in the Middle East manifested itself in Southeast Asia. Armed with new legal authorities, Indonesian police arrested some 205 members of IS-affiliated groups and killed roughly 10 more.
The loss of IS-central media platforms diminished the Islamic State brand and recruitment fell. In particular, the Indonesian government’s ongoing crackdown on Telegram weakened IS’s primary tool for radicalization and organization. The majority of attacks by Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) militants were rudimentary stabbings.