This report examines the latest events and developments on terror-related incidents in Southeast Asia and key incidents worldwide from January through March 2021. Military forces in Iraq and Syria continue to engage in offensives against Daesh and Al-Qaeda (AQ), but Daesh shows no sign of waiving and demonstrates operational lethality through a renewed twin suicide attack in Baghdad. Meanwhile, in the Southern Philippines, government efforts in pursuing terrorist groups are still in full force. Militant members are continuously surrendering to the authorities as Philippine security forces continue to target them in a concerted counterterrorism effort. The latest attack in Makassar which occurred on Palm Sunday, bore the hallmarks of a Jamaah Anshorut Daulah (JAD) attack. This latest attack demonstrated JAD’s operational lethality and group resilience despite sustained counterterrorism pressure against them, indicating that they remain a persistent threat in the near future.
