AFP verifying 1,200 IS agents in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - The disclosure of Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu that there are about 1,200 foreign Islamic State (IS) members operating in the Philippines caught the military by surprise.

Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said they are still verifying the information as Malacañang affirmed the need to work with Asian neighbors to combat security threats.

“The revelations of the Indonesian defense minister are something that came as a surprise to us because, as was mentioned by senior defense officials, in truth, we don’t have those numbers,” Padilla told a press conference yesterday at Malacañang.

He said the Philippine military would ask Indonesia about the source of the information.

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella refused to comment on the specific number, but stressed the need to work with neighboring countries in flushing terrorists out of the country.

“But it is clear that the violence in Marawi is being waged by both Philippine and international criminals, and the southern part of Mindanao has long been used as a refuge by fugitives from Indonesia, Malaysia and other locations,” Abella said.

“That is one reason why, as the Indonesian defense minister pointed out over the weekend, regional and global anti-crime efforts must be stepped up. Criminals and rebels do not respect national boundaries,” he added.

Ryacudu relayed the information during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last Sunday. According to him, 40 of the 1,200 IS militants in the Philippines are from Indonesia.

Last week, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said eight foreign jihadists were killed in separate clashes between government forces and Maute terrorists in Marawi City.

Of the slain foreign militants, two were Saudis, two were Malaysians, two were Indonesians, one was a Yemeni and one was a Chechen. Officials believe the foreigners entered the Philippines through backchannels in the Sulu and Celebes Seas.

A total of 120 Maute members and 38 government troopers have been killed in clashes in Marawi City as of 6 p.m. Sunday. Nineteen civilians have been killed by the terrorists while 1,467 others have been rescued.

The military could not say how many Maute members are still in the conflict area.

“We have not paid particular attention to the exact figures of the enemy on the ground, except that we have general estimates and our commanders on the ground have shared this repeatedly,” Padilla said.

He added that the entry of sympathizers and the release of some prisoners from the city jail increased the number of Maute forces during the first few days of encounters.

Padilla claimed that the number of terrorists “continues to dwindle by the day.”

Meanwhile, at least 17 Indonesian missionaries or “tabligh” were able to escape from Marawi City and return safely to Indonesia over the weekend.

Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command deputy commander Gilbert Gapay told The STAR that the Indonesians were in an international Islamic conference in Marawi City, considered the Islamic capital of the country where conferences or meetings of Islamic missionaries or preachers are often held, when the Maute group attacked the town.

“We processed them and checked on everything about them before they were turned over to their consulate here,” said Gapay, who is also the spokesman for the Eastmincom on martial law. – With Edith Regalado