Countries need to combine soft and hard power in the fight against terrorism, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo told US-ASEAN Summit leaders on Tuesday, sharing with them Indonesia'€™s experiences in battling domestic terrorism.

During a discussion focusing on counterterrorism, led by Jokowi and attended by US President Barrack Obama and leaders from ASEAN countries, the Indonesian President mentioned the importance of cooperation in three areas, namely promoting tolerance, combating terrorism and extremism and addressing the root causes of the problem.

His advice comes in the wake of a terrorist attack that struck Jakarta last month.

Four civilians were killed and more than 20 were injured in the attack.

Indonesia is considering revising the Terrorism Law to reinforce legal protection and prosecutions in counter-terrorism cases, Jokowi said, adding that this was a part of the hard power approach.

"In the reinforcement of the legislation, of course, we must take into account respect for human rights," he said in a press statement sent to thejakartapost.com on Wednesday.

The soft power aspect will be implemented through religious and cultural exchanges involving the community and religious organizations, he added.

Indonesia shared its experiences battling terrorism under the shadow of the expanding threat from the Islamic State (IS) movement.

As many as 329 Indonesian citizens are reported to be living and fighting in Syria as combatants for IS, a small figure compared to Indonesia'€™s population of over 250 million.

These small numbers, Jokowi asserted, were the result of Indonesia's relatively stable political condition and its non-repressive government.

He concluded, therefore, that political stability and democratic government could attenuate radical impulses, and lower the number of people leaving to fight abroad for terrorist organizations.

The utilization of social media will also be key to countering terrorists and radicals given that social media platforms are often used by radical groups to spread extremism, Jokowi said.

"We must work together through social media to spread peace and tolerance as a counter narrative," he said to his fellow leaders.

Jokowi said he would advocate this approach during his Wednesday visit to Silicon Valley, home to many start-up and technology companies. (rin)(+)

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