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| Southeast Asia |
| Scores of IS militants remain in Mindanao |
| 2018-11-15 |
| [Guardian] The threat of Islamic State is mounting again in the Philippines, with estimates there could be between 40 to 100 foreign fighters, and a growing momentum among local pro-Islamic State militant groups. Prof Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said that he had seen records of up to 100 foreign fighters on the island – a combination of old and new arrivals since the Marawi siege last year – who want to re-establish the east Asia wilayah crushed in the fighting. Banlaoi said the fighters in Mindanao had mainly traveled from neighbouring Indonesia and Malaysia but also Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Middle East. A high-ranking intelligence officer gave figures of that closely matched Banlaoi’s records. “There are about 40 foreign fighters remaining in the country, but 40 others are in the watchlist,” said the officer. The presence of foreign fighters is known to embolden rebels and there are increasing concerns of a renewed bid to declare a caliphate in Mindanao. The threat is highlighted by an apparent suicide bombing by a foreign fighter from Morocco in July that killed 11 people. It was claimed by Isis as a “martyrdom” operation. “Foreign fighters are in the Philippines because they consider the country, particularly Mindanao, as a safe haven, alternative home base and a new land of jihad,” explained Banlaoi, who said he had seen a lot of chatter on the east Asia wilayah on IS social media recently. “They train and learn from local fighters. They provide funds. They provide a global support network,” he added. In Malaysia, Ahmad el-Muhammady, who consults with the authorities on de-radicalization of Islamist militants, said the concern over foreign fighters in Mindanao was growing and “the Malaysian intelligence community is closely monitoring the situation”. As well as often having more experience with conflict, foreign fighters “play a very important role in bridging the parochial divides between Filipino groups” said Zachary Abuza, south-east Asia analyst at the National War College. “Look at Marawi [and] what happens with Philippine-based IS groups work together. And often foreign fighters try to cajole local militants to escalate the violence,” he said. Abuza calculated there were up to 40 foreign fighters in Mindanao and he emphasized the serious threat they posed. He said, "Many seek the relative sanctuary of the southern Philippines. There they can regroup, train and plot attacks. With IS’s declaration of an east Asia wilayah, the southern Philippines becomes more important because there is enough ungoverned or very poorly governed space.” “There are IS cells in Malaysia and Singapore but they don’t control any territory. You can’t be province of the caliphate without territory,” he said. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 Mindanao keeps causing problems... |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2018-11-15 15:55 |