The collapse of the Islamic State caliphate at the end of 2017 and the recent killing of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may convey the impression that the war against jihadi terrorism is almost over.
This view may be further reinforced by the fact that the other major Islamist terrorist group, al Qaeda, has been on the run since the American invasion and occupation of Afghanistan in 2001 and the subsequent killing of its charismatic leader, Osama bin Laden, in 2011.
The reality cannot be any further from this false impression, particularly as far as South and Southeast Asia are concerned.
