New IS base in Mindanao?

MANILA: From home-grown threat to regional threat? It looks like the Islamic State (IS) militants from Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia and Indonesia, have made Manila nervous with intelligence reports saying they will next operate in southern Philippines.

The Philippine Star portal said the Defence Department had expressed concern that returning Malaysian and Indonesian members of IS from Syria would set up a base in Mindanao.

Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told the portal that there’s only one Filipino who joined IS, while the rest were from other Southeast Asian countries, according to a list compiled by the intelligence community.

“Since IS is losing ground in Syria and Iraq, foreign fighters have no choice but to return to their country of origin or move to another country.

“It was also the assessment of anti-terror experts from Europe and the Middle East.

“Through social media, it’s very easy for (foreign terrorists) to communicate with Filipino youth to recruit them.

“They might transfer to Mindanao and we are always on the lookout for this.”

Manila suspected foreign terrorists making their presence felt after the recent killing of two suspected Egyptian terrorists and an Abu Sayyaf suicide bomber in Indanan, Sulu, by cooperating with local groups in Mindanao.

In September, IS claimed responsibility for an explosion at a market in Sultan Kudarat’s Isulan town that wounded at least seven Filipino Christians.

While the authorities could not confirm the IS claim, it was the fourth blast in the area in 13 months, according to the military, said the GMA website.

An academician said the death of IS leader Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi did not mean the end of terrorist groups’ movement in the Philippines.

Professor Zachary Abuza of the National War College in Washington said IS-inspired groups would continue to operate in Mindanao.

“My concern is that the southern Philippines will continue to be a draw for foreign fighters from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore because IS has suffered such reversals in Iraq and Syria, on top of formidable logistical challenges of getting there.”

The Defence Post reminded all parties that after the establishment of IS in 2014, the majority of Filipino jihadist groups pledged their loyalty to al-Baghdadi and would continue their support with a new leader at the helm.