ASEAN SECURITY ANALYSIS

  Indonesian Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fighter dies in Yemen  In one of those rare moments, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) which is Al-Qaeda (AQ)’s affiliate in Yemen, announced on 24 May 2022 that an Indonesian mujahidin fighter known as Heru Siswanto @ Musa Al-Indunisy, had passed away due to leukemia.  The announcement was made by AQAP’s official media outlet, Al Malahem Media. The significance of Heru’s death is that it gives an indication that there are Indonesian citizens who are part of AQAP in Yemen. This expose points to the fact that there might be other Southeast Asians there as well. Yemen has had it links with Southeast Asia as many from countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia have gone there previously for religious studies and some have family links too. In 2011 , five AQ suspects, including an Indonesian, were killed in Southern Yemen. Indonesians, numbering in the thousands have gone to Yemen to study since the early 2010s d...

    With the announcement of a new leader by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, a wave of oaths of allegiance have begun to occur from IS affiliates. In the case of Southeast Asia, the Philippines is the first from where IS affiliates and members have begun pledging their allegiance to new IS Caliph Abu Al-Hassan Al-Hashemi Al-Qurashi. In the Philippines, known IS affiliates are the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) Abu Turaifie faction, Maute Group and the Ansar Khalifa Philippines(AKP). Despite various key leaders being eliminated since the Siege of Marawi in 2017, IS affiliates continue to be active in Southern Philippines.  The fact that images from the Philippines have been shared by IS Central media, this is an indication that there is a line of direct communication between IS affiliates in the Philippines and IS Central in Syria. The Filipino terrorist seem to be younger and the interest in the ideology of IS certainly has...

  The Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) in the second edition of its publication Voice of Khurasan has eulogized an Indian member of its group. As part of a four-page coverage, the story of Najeeb Al-Hindi is told. Originating from Kerala, the 23-year-old Masters in Engineering student is stated to be a devout Muslim whose ultimate goal was to be a shaheed (martyr).   The article details how he made hijrah (migration)to Afghanistan and the hardship he faced while in the conflict zone. The crux of Najeeb’s story as told by ISKP is the decision he makes to volunteer for an inghimasi (operation involving the individual plunging himself into the line of fire without the intention of coming out alive) operation on the day he gets married. Throughout the story of Najeeb, ISKP seeks to tell how an individual has chosen a “path” that is deemed as the “right” one. Also, to be noted is the fact that Najeeb was well educated. He is said to be a disciplined individual, something ...

  The Islamic State (IS) terror group has announced that Shaykh Abu Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi is its new leader. He succeeds Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi who was killed in a raid on 3 rd February 2022 by US Special Forces in the town of Atmeh, Syria. The announcement was made by the newly appointed IS spokesman, Abu Omar al-Muhajir who replaced the previous spokesman Abu Hamza al-Qurashi who was also killed in the same raid as Abu Ibrahim. It came via a recording released by IS audio house Al Furqan. The audio has been released on various social media platforms such as Telegram and Rocket Chat. The delay in the announcement of the new IS Caliph could be attributed to the fact the IS Central in Syria has probably had to reorganize itself after the death of Abu Ibrahim. Based on the audio release, it is understood that new IS leader Abu Hasan had been chosen by its previous leader Abu Ibrahim to be his successor. This highlights how IS already has a succession plan in place...