Why Trump’s travel ban puts Macau, Malaysia in Islamic State’s sights
The executive order from the US president may bring Islamic militants back to their home countries in Asia, where they could plan and attempt further attacks
The decision by US President Donald Trump to slam shut the doors of America to the citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries has been widely perceived as one that will inflame anti-US sentiment around the world.
Opponents of arguably the most controversial US leader to occupy the White House argue that the move – introduced in an opening flurry of presidential executive orders – say it will have the opposite effect to its stated intention of making Americans safer; instead it will work as a recruiting sergeant for extremist groups like Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
It fuels concerns among regional counterterrorism officials that the US-backed war machine currently encircling Islamic State (IS) could spawn a greater terror network in Southeast Asia and elsewhere, one made up of fleeing militants seeking a safe haven in their home countries.
In October last year, Jeremy Douglas, the representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, told This Week in Asia that the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighter returnees was “real and imminent”.
“Increasing military pressure on [IS] in Syria and Iraq is now expected to result in more returnees including many that will want to pursue violent jihad in the region,” Douglas said.