Religious corps sent to help displaced people of Marawi

KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry has sent the armed forces religious corps (Kagat) to help the displaced people of Marawi, said its minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein today.
He said the ministry will also provide the villagers with humanitarian aid such as proper drinking water and medical assistance.
"We need to meet their basic needs otherwise they will fall under the influence of IS," Hismammuddin said after launching the Defence Services Asia 2018 exhibition.
He said there are also plans by the Philippines defence minister to hold a briefing in Manila for Asean defence ministers on the situation in Marawi.
He added that military intelligence officers had also been sent to Marawi to find out more about those involved.
The minister pointed out that IS had announced plans to set up an Islamic Caliphate in the region and this will only attract more foreign fighters to the area.
"The job of military intelligence officers will be to identify those involved and find ways to defeat them before they are able to establish themselves here.
"To do this there is a need for Asean countries to work together to defeat this threat and it is also important for the military and police to work together.
"As far as the IS is concerned, there are no borders and the blurring of this requires everyone to join forces to fight them," Hishammudidn said, citing the example of the trilateral maritime patrols in the Sulu Sea by Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
He added that a proposal has also been put forward to invite Singapore and Brunei to join the maritime air patrols to curb the threat of IS.