KUALA LUMPUR: The member countries of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) have collectively agreed to take the lead in various initiatives, encompassing funding, training, expertise and skills.

       The Ministry of Defence, in a statement, said at the Second IMCTC Meeting held last Saturday (Feb 3) in Saudi Arabia, also welcomed Malaysia's proposal to lead the Information Technology Literacy and Digital Resilience Development Programme initiative.

       "This involves the development, creation, production and dissemination of media content related to violence and extremism among the youth of IMCTC member countries," read the statement.

       The statement mentioned that the meeting, attended by 42 member countries, discussed initiatives to be led by member countries in addressing international threats of extremism and violence across four key domains: restricting the spread of ideology, communication, blocking terrorist financing and enhancing military cooperation.

       Since 2023, Malaysia has deployed two officers from the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) to the Counter-Terrorism Centre IMCTC, showcasing the country's commitment to combating terrorism both regionally and internationally.

       To underscore the strong defence cooperation between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, Defence Deputy Minister Adly Zahari, who attended the meeting, also accepted the invitation from the Saudi Arabian government to visit the World Defence Show (WDS) concurrently held from Feb 4 to 8.

       "The WDS 2024 is a significant platform that brings together various players in the defence industry to showcase the latest defence technology across land, air, sea and cyber domains," said the statement.

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       According to the statement, during the short-duration visit, the Deputy Defence Minister and the delegation had the opportunity to meet key international players in the defence industry to keep abreast with the latest developments in defence technology, equipment and assets.

       The presence of the Ministry of Defence delegation at WDS 2024 was also aimed at promoting the Defence Services Asia 2024 and National Security Asia 2024 Exhibition scheduled to take place from May 6 to 9 in Kuala Lumpur. – Bernama