Australia renews commitment to supporting Philippine counterterrorism campaign in Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR: Australia has expressed its renewed commitment to supporting the Philippine military’s efforts against terrorism in Mindanao.

Simon Hayter, the First Secretary of the Political Section of the Australian Embassy in the Philippines, visited the Western Mindanao Command’s (Westmincom) headquarters in Zamboanga city, Zamboanga del Sur province, on July 25, 2022, according to a statement on July 26, 2022.

He and Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario, Jr., the commander of Westmincom, discussed security updates, normalisation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and updates on "tri-border security" or security at Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia's shared borders.

Hayter said the Australian government remains true to its commitment to supporting the Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly Westmincom, in its counterterrorism campaign in Mindanao.

Rosario, Jr. thanked Hayter for the message of support from the Australian government.

Australia mobilised an uban counterterrorism warfare training programme and loaned two AP-3C Orion surveillance planes to help the Philippine military during the 2017 siege of Marawi city by Daesh-aligned local terror groups.

More than 1,200 people were killed during the five-month battle, mostly militants, including siege leaders Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf leader and Daesh’s Southeast Asia emir; as well as Omar and Abdullah Maute, leaders of the Maute group.

At the end of the siege in October, Australia announced an expansion of the counterterrorism warfare training programme, which entailed deploying around 80 troops at local bases in the Philippines to train army and marine units.