Novan Iman Santosa, Manila – Indonesia will hold a trilateral military exercise in Kalimantan early next year, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has said.
"The combined exercise will involve small units from Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia at the company level," he said after meeting his Philippine counterpart, National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, in Manila on Thursday.
"We will focus on basic skills, such as anti-guerilla warfare, urban warfare and patrol duties."
Ryamizard said the joint exercise would be held in Kalimantan in early 2017, before the launch of a joint operation. "We will exchange knowledge and experiences on how to conduct anti-guerilla operations," said Ryamizard.
"Based on our own experiences, it is important to win the people's hearts and minds." In the field, he added, the military had to separate the population from hostile forces to win guerilla warfare.
Ryamizard said the combined exercise was important to prevent further abductions by Abu Sayyaf militants and to forestall any attempts by the Islamic State group to establish a strong base in the region. (dmr)