WE TOLD YOU SO | AFP says UN report of 'No ISIS in PH' boosts its claim ever since

From InterAksyon (Dec 14): WE TOLD YOU SO | AFP says UN report of 'No ISIS in PH' boosts its claim ever since

 
AFP spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla Jr.: UN reports proves our point. InterAksyon.com File

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Sunday its point about there being no personalities identified with the Islamic State in the country was bolstered after the release of UN Counter-Terrorism official Jean-Paul Laborde's report.

IS, a group of Islamic extremists, has been sowing terror in its bid to set up a caliphate, seizing and occupying territories in Syria and Iraq, and killing non-believers.

“As the government has been saying all along, there is no ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) presence here in the country],” said Col. Resituto Padilla, spokesman of the AFP.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) also continues to play down threats from ISIS in the face of supposed intelligence reports about the presence of foreign terrorists with possible ISIS links.

The ISIS issue in the country shot to the headlines when former President Fidel Ramos talked about the reports of some 100 Filipinos allegedly joining IS in Syria and Iraq. Later, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte also made public intelligence on recruitment activities by unknown people of young Muslims to lure them to join ISIS.

This was followed by a  mayor in Basilan claiming an alleged ISIS recruitment effort in some parts of the province.

Adding to the intrigue, the Bangsamoro Moro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) posted video footage on the Internet where they pledged allegiance to ISIS.

Through all these, the military and police dismissed the “intelligence reports” as a farce and the videos as “mere propaganda” by the BIFF and ASG, both of which coddle some members of the Jemaah Islamiyah. But, the military admitted, the BIFF and ASG, as well as three other groups are prone to ISIS influence such as the Al-Khobar Group and Kilafa Islamiyah.

According to Padilla, the UN counter-terrorism body has asked the government to boost security measures against the entry of foreign terrorists.

The UN, he said, had lauded Philippine efforts to prevent the spread of terrorism by adopting the Human Security Act, and the AMLA (Anti-Money Laundering Act).

The enactment of the Bangsamaro Basic Law (BBL) will also help prevent the entry of terror groups such as ISIS, Padilla said.

“The government continues to explore other means by which we can strengthen the fight against terrorism and among these is to ensure continuous social and economic developments to move forward and that the government is moving to encourage everyone to take in the BBL process,” he said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/101156/we-told-you-so--afp-says-un-report-of-no-isis-in-ph-boosts-its-claim-ever-since