The heads of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace panels dismissed on Monday the reported recruitment of the terror group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the country, particularly in Mindanao.
“There's is no validity and evidence to that report. We have been on the ground and I have not even heard of any substantive evidence to prove that,” MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal said in an interview at the sidelines of a forum on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
Speculations on the ISIS' recruitment of fighters from the Philippines came folllowing reports that two Filipinos were among those recently killed in Syria while supposedly fighting on the side of ISIS.
In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer last week, Abu Misry Mama, spokesperson of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), said his group had pledged allegiance to ISIS and is in constant communication with its leaders, especially with ISIS head Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
“Well, that's a claim, but even in terms of logistics, it's very difficult to send people to Syria and Baghdad. It's better for them to use that money buying ammunition rather than to spend for people to send them to Syria and Bagdhad,” Iqbal said.
The BIFF is a splinter group of the MILF.
Iqbal maintained that the MILF “do not have any alliance or any strategic conference” with the BIFF nor with another rebel group in Mindanao, the Abu Sayyaf.
No evidence
No evidence
Government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer likewise doubted the reported ISIS recruitment of people from Mindanao.
“It is very unlikely that there are actually people from Mindanao (joining the ISIS). There is a bigger risk that some overseas Filipino workers in Syria or Iraq got entangled with the ISIS, dahil nandun na sila. But coming from Mindanao pupunta sa Syria or Iraq para sumali? We don't have any clear evidence to show that,” Ferrer said.
She said the BIFF's statement of close contact with the ISIS leadership does not necessarily mean that ISIS elements have already penetrated the country.
“You can be in close contact through the internet and everything. But even that claim of the BIFF is not yet validated with evidence,” Ferrer said.
She said the MILF is working closely with the national government in maintaining peace and order in Mindanao.
'Against barbarism'
'Against barbarism'
For his part, Iqbal said that with or without the threats of terrorism, the MILF is constantly monitoring areas under its control.
“We are against all forms of barbarism, whether it is being committed by a foreign group or even by local group... We see to it that no outside elements are coming into these territories that would create problems. That's how we promote and protect peace and security in areas controlled by the MILF,” Iqbal said.
He said in the event that the MILF forces apprehend a member of a foreign terrorist group, the suspect would be directly turned over to an international body and not to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“We have terms of reference when it comes to that. When somebody is caught committing a crime, usually kidnap for ransom, there is an arrangement that they will be turned over to an international monitoring team, which is led by Malaysia,” Iqbal said.
Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that it was working closely with the US government to thwart reported recruitment by ISIS.
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