Rise of terrorism one of the key challenges in Asia-Pacific, says Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein

SINGAPORE - One of the key challenges facing the Asia-Pacific is religious extremism and combating the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the region.

As the terrorist group suffers losses in the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific region is now firmly in its crosshairs, said Malaysia's Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

Speaking at a discussion on challenges on managing crises facing the Asia-Pacific at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday (June 3), Datuk Seri Hishammuddin said the threat from ISIS was both "real and multi-dimensional" and had to be met head on.

The threat is one that Malaysia feels acutely, he added, pointing out that the country arrested six people with links to ISIS in the last week, and has made 250 more arrests between 2013 and 2016.

To combat the growth of terrorism, countries would have to fight terrorism by promoting peace, winning the "war of ideas" and countering extremist ideology, said Mr Hishammuddin.

"The Daesh threat cannot be solved by bombing certain countries into submission," he said, using the Arabic term for ISIS.

One way to solve such problems would be to work together with other nations within regional groups such as Asean, the Malaysian minister said.

He pointed to an initiative by Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines to carry out patrols in the Sulu Sea, an area that ISIS has declared part of its "South-east Asia" caliphate.

Announcing that maritime patrols in the area would start on June 19 and that a date for air patrols would soon be set, he said: