Presidents Aquino, Hollande Agree to Intensify Cooperation to Fight Terrorism

(PNA) – President Benigno Aquino III and visiting French President Francois Hollande have agreed to intensify cooperation to fight terrorism, calling for the international community to work together to fight “this scourge of mankind.”

“Terrorism is a problem for all of mankind, and if we do not act together, then we are not fortifying ourselves to the nth degree possible and this is something that we should avoid,” said Aquino in a joint press conference with the French leader in Malacanang on Thursday.

“So a common problem between France and the Philippines is the presence of terrorists that are not organized or not falling into previously organized groups that somehow somebody has intelligence on. The worry in our case is we call them ‘lone wolf;’ somebody who comes in, who is not in the database of anybody, who has been radicalized sometimes by the Internet and doing these nefarious deeds,” he added.

President Aquino said exchanges of intelligence, exchanges of best practices have been discussed between the Philippines and France “to fortify our respective countries with regards to terrorism.”

Recently, terrorists attacked the office of French publication Charlie Hebdo in Paris killing 20 people.

”I thanked him (President Aquino) for the expression of solidarity as soon as the bombings took place or what was well known to the world,” Hollande said.

“We have decided to intensify our cooperation in the fight against terrorism because terrorism can strike everywhere. We can exchange information. We can monitor certain individuals. We can act in such a way as to eradicate the causes of terrorism and among these causes there is also climate change, poverty, displacement of people, wars,” he added.

In the Philippines, the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) was able to neutralize Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, who has US$ 5 million bounty on his head.

However, the operation to neutralize Marwan, a notorious bomb expert, proved costly for the PNP after its 44 SAF men were killed in the operation after they encountered lawless elements in Mamasapano, Maguindnao.

”We condemn terrorism in all its forms,” the two leaders said in a Joint Declaration on the Enhanced Partnership between two countries. (PNA) LGI/JFM