T

he rise of radicalism and terrorism in the region is now seen as ASEAN’s biggest security threat.

Just as the Philippine government has after five months managed to defeat militant groups aligned with the Islamic State (IS) movement in the city of Marawi, ASEAN countries are agreeing that similar bloodshed could be avoided if they stick together.

During the 11th ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting in the northern Philippine city of Clark on Monday, Indonesia proposed the creation of a “mini-Interpol” that would involve six countries in the region sharing intelligence through the “Our Eyes” initiative.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said he appreciated the success the Philippine government had flushing the largely foreign fighters out of Marawi, but he saw a potential threat in IS loyalists being able to retreat to neighboring countries to rebuild bases. Multilateral connections between the six countries, he said, would keep the terrorists at bay.

“This preventive measures will provide us with extensive information about the existence of terrorist groups in ASEAN countries. Thus, we can destroy them before they get larger,” Ryamizard told the forum. The six countries proposed are Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore and the Philippines.

After months of clashes between IS fighters and the Philippine military that destroyed large parts of Marawi, the southern Philippines has been liberated from terrorism, according to a government official who said the last terrorist had been killed. Delfin Lorenzana, the Philippines’ national secretary of National Defense, said during the opening of the meeting that he had received the report moments before.

“After 154 days of siege in Marawi with the Daesh-inspired Maute-ISIS group, we now announce the termination of combat operations in Marawi city,” Lorenzana said, using two alternative designations for IS.

Under Our Eyes, each participating country would create a new unit for sharing intelligence between them, while the person in charge from each country would be expected to maintain communications on a regular basis about the collection of information. Multilateral intelligence sharing is not common in Southeast Asia as most countries prefer to exchange such information bilaterally. Our Eyes was modeled on the post-World War Two “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance involving the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Canada that was established to monitor the then Soviet Union.

“However, Our Eyes would have nothing to do with politics. It is purely an initiative to fight the existence of terrorist groups and maintain peace in our region,” Ryamizard said.

Several countries have expressed support of the initiative, saying it could play a significant role in maintaining the security of ASEAN countries. Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said he could see the importance of Our Eyes and would support it “all the way.”

“Mr. Ryamizard, we are fully behind this initiative and we can see the sense of the arguments that you put forward in this forum. You have our total support,” he said.

The Philippines, chair of ASEAN this year, is hosting the 11th ADMM, as well as the fourth ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting — Plus, which is to include eight ASEAN dialogue partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US. On Tuesday the forum is expected to discuss broader issues, including the Korean Peninsula crisis and the South China Sea dispute.