On February 21, India and Maldives in a joint statement agreed to further strengthen coordination in enhancing regional maritime security, combating cross border terrorism and maintaining peace in the region to ensure freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean, reports The Times of India. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with top Maldivian leadership including his counterpart Abdulla Shahid discussed on the importance of defence and security cooperation and also agreed to work together to convene the first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism, countering Violent Extremism and De-radicalisation at the earliest. According to a recent report of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the threat posed by the Islamic State, the terror group's new leader Shihab al-Muhajir who reportedly heads ISIS operations in Afghanistan, India, Maldives, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and States in Central Asia have maintain familial ties to the Haqqani Network.