Southeast Asian terror cells aligned with the Iraq- and Syria-based group have been emboldened in recent years, culminating in a month-long battle for the city of Marawi on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines

The Trilateral Maritime Patrol Indomalphi -- whose name incorporates elements of each of the three countries' names -- was "initiated and implemented" by the governments of the "three in order to face the security challenges associated with each country's border waters," according to the statement. In terms of the future outlook for TMP beyond the launch, the general architecture has already been laid out, with a network of naval patrols and rotational air patrols supported by arrangements between the countries including on information-sharing and communications as well as three Maritime Command Centers (MCCs) in Tarakan, Tawau, and Bongao and a joint operations center.
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines begin joint patrols in the pirate havens within the Celebes and Sulu Seas.