Trump's National Security Advisor H R McMaster has said it's time to recognise that there's been progress on three fronts -- "first, denying terrorists safe havens and support bases; second, cutting off their funding; and third, discrediting their wicked ideology".
"I think it's time for us to recognise that there's been significant progress on all three fronts," McMaster said, noting that Trump articulated his counter-terrorism policy for the first time in a major policy speech in Riyadh early this year.
"Second, we should recognise that there's been considerable progress on terrorist financing; as you saw (Treasury) Secretary (Steven) Mnuchin's visit to the region last week, during which he opened the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center," he said.
Trump will embark on a 12-day trip to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Hawaii beginning today.
"At the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) 50th birthday party in Manila, the president will discuss how to strengthen partnerships across the Indo-Pacific to further efforts against transnational terrorist organisations," McMaster said.