"The report on the death of the two ISIS leaders, Omarkhayam Maute and Isnilon Hapilon, in Marawi was confirmed by official photos from the Australian government," Wiranto said.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government has lauded the Philippine militarys action to execute two leaders of the ISIS-affiliated armed group in Marawi, calling it a step forward to prevent infiltrating of extremism and radicalism in the Southeast Asian region.
"The report on the death of the two ISIS leaders, Omarkhayam Maute and Isnilon Hapilon, in Marawi was confirmed by official photos from the Australian government," Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto stated here on Monday.
The Australian government has been assisting the Philippine military in combating the Marawis armed group by providing remote sensing tools that were also used by the Indonesian Military in Poso, Central Sulawesi.
Wiranto hoped that Maute and Hapilons deaths will prevent the spread of radicalism in Indonesia, as the group members are usually weakened after losing their leaders.
"Often, such a fanatic guerrilla group becomes weak after their leaders are killed, and their struggle slows down because they only fight for their charismatic figures. Hopefully, that is true and it will be over," he noted.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that they would be able to secure Marawi from the armed group by the end of October.
Wiranto also appreciated a defense cooperation among Indonesia, Australia, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines signed in Manado, North Sulawesi, to combat terrorism in the region.
Currently, the government is improving deradicalization mechanism, operated by National Agency for Combating Terrorism, to prevent Indonesians from joining Marawis group or ISIS in Syria and Iraq.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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