KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Australia will share intelligence on militants in Southeast Asia, a senior Malaysian minister said on Tuesday, as the two allies brace for the possible return of Islamic State (IS) militants from Iraq. Malaysian Defense Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the success of the Mosul operation would drive hundreds of IS militants and sympathisers from Southeast Asia back to their home countries. "(IS) is a common foe that we need to face," Hishammuddin told reporters after meeting Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in Parliament. "If the offensive in Mosul is successful, we will see a lot of hardened returnees and sympathisers to the region, especially in Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and South Thailand." Muslim-majority Malaysia arrested more than 250 people between 2013 and 2016 over suspected militant activities linked to IS.

Source: New Strait Times March 14, 2017 11:15 UTC