SINGAPORE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2018) The return of militants to the Asia Pacific region after fighting in Syria and Iraq boosts terror threat in Southeast Asia, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Saturday.
"The return of terrorists, who have received fighting experience in Syria and Iraq, to the Asia Pacific region remains an acute problem. They represent the ready force for joining local terror cells ... Terrorism becomes the more and more grave threat for Asia Pacific states. This is caused by the activities of the significant number of extremist organizations in Southeast Asia," Shoigu said at the fifth ASEAN and Dialogue Partners Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM-Plus) in Singapore.
The extremist groups operating in the region used force for its fight and sought to establish strong ties with international terror groups, Shoigu added.
Money flows to Asia Pacific states for supporting terrorist cells and holding terror attack had been more and more often detected recently, Shoigu added.
The defense minister called for causing irreparable damage to the terrorists' capabilities.
