AFP feted for helping mitigate effects of 2 transport strikes

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 13): AFP feted for helping mitigate effects of 2 transport strikes

For providing personnel and military vehicles which helped mitigate the effects of the two recent nationwide transportation strikes last month, the Armed Forces of the Philippines AFP was presented with the "Parangal" award by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Monday.

Receiving this honor in behalf of the military was AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Eduardo Año.
Awarding ceremonies took place at the AFP General Headquarters Grandstand in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The award was handed by DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade.

“In unity there is strength. We have proven once again that, when there is teamwork and collaboration, we can achieve more. As we face various challenges as a nation, we shall need more of this. We shall divide the tasks in order to multiply our success,” Año said in a statement.

The “Parangal” was conducted to recognize the efforts of bus operators, transport groups, and other government agencies that helped mitigate the effects of the two transport strikes in February.

Among other awardees were the AFP Joint Task Force National Capital Region, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Metro Manila Development Authority, and Department of Public Works and Highways.
“In these events, the AFP dutifully answered to the call of duty along with other government agencies, in easing the inconvenience to the affected commuters. For its part, the AFP dispatched personnel and a number of M-35 trucks and vans to take various routes around Metro Manila and assisted commuters to and from their respective destinations,” the AFP chief stressed.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=971186

DND mulls more patrols off Benham Rise

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 14): DND mulls more patrols off Benham Rise

To demonstrate Philippine sovereignty and control over Benham Rise, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana is mulling the increase of patrols in the area.

The maritime feature is located off the Aurora and Isabela coastline.

He added the increase of Filipino patrols in the area would demonstrate to everyone that the area is under Filipino jurisdiction.

"Well, we will do something there, may we will increase our patrols at the same time, we might set up a structure to says that (Benham Rise) is ours," Lorenzana said in Filipino.

Earlier, China claimed that its vessels were only exercising its right of innocent passage when the DND announced that several Chinese survey ships were spotted in the locality last year.

Lorenzana disputed this Chinese claim and said ships exercising right to innocent passage steam on a definite course and speed and do not constantly change their courses and speeds.

The 13-million-hectare Benham Rise is believed to be a fuel-rich area and awarded to the Philippines by the United Nations in 2012.

Previously, Chinese survey ships were also seen off Scarborough Shoal and Reed Bank surveying the sea bed for possible mineral deposits, he added.

The Chinese has gained total control of Scarborough Shoal (also known as Panatag) after a standoff with the Philippine Navy in April 2012.

DFA verifies nationality of 5 persons arrested by Malaysian police

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 14): DFA verifies nationality of 5 persons arrested by Malaysian police

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said it is still verifying the true nationality of the five individuals arrested by the Royal Malaysian police allegedly Filipinos with link to international terrorists ISIS.

DFA Spokesman and Assistant Secretary Charles Jose said they have instructed the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to further seek assistance to identify the true nationality of the five individuals.

“The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has requested further information from the Royal Malaysian Police on the alleged link of the five arrested individuals with militants in Mindanao,” Jose said. “The Embassy has also asked for details on the nationalities of the five arrested individuals.”

Based on initial information received from the Royal Malaysian Police, none of the five had Philippine passports or other identity documents in their possession.

He said should the arrested suspects are proven Filipinos, they will be provided with free legal assistance through the embassy.

Malaysian police on Monday said they had arrested seven people, five of them were Filipinos with suspected links to the Islamic State militant group.

The Southeast Asian nation has been on high alert since armed gunmen linked to the Islamic State launched multiple attacks in Jakarta, Indonesia in January 2016.

Reports claimed that a Philippine suspect with permanent residency in Malaysia was detained on suspicion of raising funds and channelling them to Mahmud Ahmad and Mohamad Joraimee Awang Raimee, two Malaysians who had joined up with the Islamic State in the southern Philippines.

Further, another suspected Filipino was planning to travel to Syria to join up with the Islamic State there, while another was found to have pledged allegiance to Isnilon Hapilon, the Philippines' most-wanted man and leader of the Abu Sayyaf militant group.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=971469

Benham Rise belongs to Filipinos -- Malacañang

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 14): Benham Rise belongs to Filipinos -- Malacañang

Malacañang on Tuesday asserted that Benham Rise belongs to the Filipino people even as it cited the need for improved capabilities to protect Philippine sovereignty over its territories.
“First and foremost, the Benham Rise belongs to the Filipino people. The Philippine government is duty-bound to defend and protect our sovereign and territorial rights over this region,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella stressed during a Palace briefing.

He pointed out that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) supports the Philippines' claim on the maritime feature east of Luzon.

Benham Rise was awarded to the Philippines by the United Nations in 2012.

“The Philippines has the responsibility to oversee and regulate the sailing ships of other countries that passes the waters of Benham Rise,” he said.

Thus, the Palace official said that other countries were only allowed to pass through Benham Rise.

“Other countries can exercise innocent passage and territorial navigation. But they are disallowed to stay and establish any structure in the area,” Abella said.

The Palace official issued the statements following reports from the Department of National Defense (DND) that several Chinese vessels were monitored in the region last year.

But Beijing claimed that its vessels were only exercising its right of innocent passage, a claim being disputed by the DND.

Besides being a biodiversity hotspot, the 13-million hectare area located off the Aurora and Isabela coastline is also believed to be fuel-rich.

In the meantime, Abella said that during the National Security Council (NSC) meeting late Monday night, President Rodrigo Duterte gave his full support to the improvement of capabilities of law enforcement agencies in monitoring Philippine air space and territorial waters.

“The President did agree that we should improve capabilities of enforcing our rights in the matter… enforcing our rights regarding airspace and territorial waters,” he said.

The Palace official added though that the Philippine government will continue diplomatic talks with China.

“Having said that thing about Benham Rise, we will continue to pursue diplomatic talks with the other party,” Abella said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=971538

PNP-AKG nabs KFR group leader in Cebu

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 14): PNP-AKG nabs KFR group leader in Cebu

The Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) arrested the top leader of a kidnap-for-ransom (KFR) group in Mandaue City, Cebu who was identified as Mansor Manupac Mantawil.

PNP-AKG director Senior Supt. Glenn Dumlao on Tuesday said that Mantawil was arrested by the AKG Visayas Field Unit, together with the Naval Intelligence Security Group, who is a resident of Sitio Mahayhay Soong, Bgy Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

Mantawil was arrested last Saturday (March 11) at 7 p.m. in Oanu Avenue, Barangay Centro, Mandaue City on the strength of a warrant of arrest issued by the Pagadian City Regional Trial Court (RTC) for the cases of kidnapping and serious illegal detention, carnapping and robbery.

Mantawil, who is considered as the country’s “most wanted kidnapper”, is being tagged as the leader of the Mantawil KFR group which is operating in Pagadian City, Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte and targeting wealthy businessmen.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=971528

ASG sub-leader killed in Tawi-Tawi raid

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 14): ASG sub-leader killed in Tawi-Tawi raid

Units from Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi and their police counterparts have shot and killed an Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) sub-leader wanted for kidnapping and illegal drugs during operations in Sitangkai town Tuesday morning.

Col. Edgard Arevalo, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief, identified the slain ASG leader as Btchoy Hassan, 48, and alias "Black".

The latter was slain around 8:35 a.m. at his residence at the above-mentioned town.

Recovered from his possession were an M-16 automatic rifle, five speed boats and various outboard motors.

Arevalo said Hassan is wanted for kidnapping by Malaysian authorities, having been involved in the raid in Malaysia which resulted in the snatching of Taiwanese businesswoman Evelyn Cheng in Pom Pom Island Resort in Sabah last November 2013.

Aside from kidnapping, the ASG sub-leader has branched out into illegal drugs and is allegedly distributing shabu in Sitangkai and nearby towns.

Operations are still ongoing as of this posting.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=971544

Lawmaker bats for ROTC revival

From The Standard (Mar 13): Lawmaker bats for ROTC revival

A lawmaker on Sunday called on Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to ensure the swift passage into law of a measure seeking to revive the mandatory Reserved Officers Training Corps for Grades 11 and 12 in public and private schools nationwide.

Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu urged his fellow lawmakers to support House Bill No. 5113 that would “resuscitate” the ROTC.

“I appeal to the House leadership to give priority on my measure in line with the President’s desire to revive the ROTC to promote the prime duty of the government to serve and protect the people,” he said.

Abu’s measure would amend Republic Act No. 7077 or the Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act to make ROTC mandatory.

The bill would introduce basic military training for students in order to “motivate, train, organize and utilize them for national defense preparedness or civil-military operations.”

“If implemented effectively and efficiently, it would have the potential to produce an entire generation of young Filipinos who would be proud of their Filipino heritage and are ready to give the entirety of their being to serve their countrymen, to defend the country at all cost, and in a collective effort to make the Republic of the Philippines a real Southeast Asian Superpower in the near future,” Abu said.

“The inculcation of the spirit of nationalism, nation-building, and national preparedness among the country’s population is vital to the nation’s survival,” he added.

http://thestandard.com.ph/news/national/231610/lawmaker-bats-for-rotc-revival.html

Hundreds flee as military pursues BIFF in Maguindanao

From ABS-CBN (Mar 13): Hundreds flee as military pursues BIFF in Maguindanao



A military tanker is parked as soldiers launch an offensive against Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Datu Salibo, Maguindanao.

A total of 335 families from 5 villages here fled their homes after the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) launched a military offensive against Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Barangay Tee, Datu Salibo early Monday.

Captain Arvin Encinas, chief of the 6th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, said operations were launched after the military monitored members of the BIFF in Barangay Tee, and was part of the military's anti-terrorism campaign.

Last week, 2 soldiers of the army’s 57th infantry battalion were wounded in a separate bomb explosion and "harassment" allegedly conducted by the BIFF in the towns of Datu Salibo and Shariff Aguak.

Encinas said AFP used air assets and mortar shelling in the operation that lasted for 3 hours.

No casualties were reported so far in the BIFF, according to their spokesperson, Abu Amir.

However, Datu Salibo Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management council officer, Abbey Unos said the military operations sowed fear in communities of Barangay Tee, Sambulawan, Andavit, Butilen and Animao.

Affected residents have appealed for food assistance from the government.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/13/17/hundreds-flee-as-military-pursues-biff-in-maguindanao

Suspected NPAs torch bus in North Cotabato; no one harmed

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Mar 13): Suspected NPAs torch bus in North Cotabato; no one harmed

Suspected New People’s Army rebels on Monday torched a passenger bus in Makilala, North Cotabato, police said.

Supt. Romeo Galgo, spokesperson of the police in Central Mindanao, said the suspects flagged down the Davao City-bound Yellow Bus in Barangay San Vicente in Makilala at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Galgo, quoting a report from the North Cotabato police, said the bus with about a dozen passengers, was commandeered by the gunmen and driven to a remote sub-village, where the rebels poured gasoline on the vehicle before setting it on fire.

The driver and the passengers were unharmed.

Galgo said the attackers belonged to the NPA’s Guerrilla Front 72 operating in Makilala and in Bansalan in Davao del Sur.

The attack came five days after NPA rebels killed four policemen in an ambush in Bansalan.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/880148/suspected-npas-torch-bus-in-north-cotabato-no-one-harmed

Hundreds of MILF child soldiers released in Philippines

From Aljazeera posted to Philippine News (Mar 11): Hundreds of MILF child soldiers released in Philippines



Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country's largest armed group, ends recruitment of children as part of peace plan.

Hundreds of child soldiers have been released by the Philippines' main separatist rebel group, continuing its commitment to end the recruitment and use of children within its ranks.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), one of the most powerful armed groups in the country, released the children on Friday as part of an action plan with the UN.

Reporting from the disengagement ceremony in Lanao del Sur, Al Jazeera's Jamela Alindogan said Friday's release did not happen overnight.

"This is something that started eight years ago," she said. "It required a lot of ground work, a lot of investigations, a lot of re-education, not just of leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, but also of parents who have had their children exposed to combat."
In 2009, the group signed an action plan with the UN to end the recruitment of child soldiers, a practice that extends over generations.

The first in a series of disengagement ceremonies took place in February and the group will eventually disengage more than 1,800 children, according to UNICEF.

Some of the children fought on the front line with the group, but the majority performed tasks as couriers and support staff.

Richard Heydarian, a professor of political science in Manila, told Al Jazeera it is important to remember that many of these child soldiers were born into the conflict.

"We have to keep in mind that this is not like South Sudan or Sierra Leone ... where you have these children ripped apart from their family and forcibly coerced to become child soldiers," he said.

"Many of these children are actually very much part of the fabric of the community that has been supporting the Moro Islamic Liberation Front."

The Islamic group, based on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, has fought for succession for decades, routinely recruiting and using children within its ranks, according to UNICEF.

Al Jazeera's Alindogan said Friday's ceremony shows the sincerity of the MILF in making sure the "third and fourth generation of children are not going to end up with the same fate as their parents and grandparents".

The children who are released will be offered scholarships to finish school, as well as support from the government and NGOs for full integration back into society.

"The release of children from the MILF is only the beginning of the next phase of their youth. The next step is to ensure that these children receive support," UNICEF's country representative Lotta Sylwander said last month.

Example for other armed groups
The number of child soldiers in the Philippines remains unknown. Mindanao is home to a number of armed groups who use and recruit combatants under the age of 18, according to the UN.


As a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Philippines has vowed to end the practice, but progress has remained slow.

Al Jazeera's Alindogan said the commitment by the MILF serves an an example to the other groups.

"This process of disengagement of children is seen also as a very good example of other armed groups in the Philippines who are also recruiting and training children or including children in their combat activities," she said.

Symbolic step for peace

The MILF signed a peace accord with the government in 2014. That deal, however, stalled following the death of several government special forces during a botched operation in 2015.

Heydarian told Al Jazeera that the disengagement of the child soldiers is a "symbolic" move by the MILF, but the government remains too involved in other crises.

"It shows the MILF wants to be part of mainstream Philippines", Heydarian said.

"The problem right now is that ironically you have a Philippines under Rodrigo Duterte having its first president from Mindanao, but the president right now is really bogged down by the controversial drug war, by ongoing peace negotiations ... with the Communists, and also the threat of ISIS", Heydarian said using an alternative abbreviation for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.

http://philippinenews.com/index.php/top-stories/item/153-hundreds-of-milf-child-soldiers-released-in-philippines

Philippines' MILF rebel group 'committed to peace'

From Aljazeera (Mar 13): Philippines' MILF rebel group 'committed to peace'

The leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) say they are committed to peace negotiations with the government. Some fighters - including child soldiers - are laying down their weapons in exchange for government benefits.

 

The leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) say they are committed to peace negotiations with the government.

Some fighters - including child soldiers - are laying down their weapons in exchange for government benefits. But not all commanders are convinced.

Al Jazeera was granted an exclusive interview with Abdullah Macapaar, known as Commander Bravo who says he will never give up the rebel group's weapons - not until historical injustices, which he says were committed by the Philippine government, have been corrected.

Al Jazeera's Jamela Alindogan reports from the island of Mindanao.

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/news/2017/03/philippines-milf-rebel-group-committed-peace-170312162817804.html

Malaysia to send new peacekeepers to Mindanao

From the Philippine Star (Mar 13): Malaysia to send new peacekeepers to Mindanao

In this Jan. 12, 2017 photo, Malaysian Deputy Defense Minister Johari Baharom (2nd from right) was welcomed to Cotabato City by his compatriots and the Bruneian and Indonesian members of the International Monitoring Team, which is helping enforce the ceasefire agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the government. John Unson, File

 

Malaysia will replace on Tuesday its peacekeeping contingent in Mindanao with a new batch for a 12-month mission in conflict flashpoint areas.

 

Malaysian Army Gen. Wira Zamrose, head of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), and his subordinates will be replaced by a group led by compatriot Gen. Masrani Paiman.

 

Zamrose and his men completed this month their 12-year peacekeeping tour in Mindanao.

 

Malaysia has been helping facilitate since late 2003 the diplomatic overture between Malacañang and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), seeking a negotiated closure to the Mindanao secessionist conflict hounding the nation since the early 1970s.

 

The Malaysian-led IMT, comprised of soldiers from Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, and civilian conflict resolution experts from Japan and Norway, is helping oversee the implementation of the 1997 Agreement on General Cessation of Hostilities between Malacañang and the MILF.

 

The ceasefire accord was crafted by Malacañang and the MILF in Cagayan de Oro City on July 1997 to forestall undue rebel-military hostilities in conflict-prone areas in Mindanao while peace talks are underway.

 

The IMT’s main headquarters is located in Cotabato City, which is inside Maguindanao province, where the MILF has more than a dozen enclaves, including its main bastion, the Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat town.

 

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, chairman of the provincial peace and order council (PPOC), said his office will extend support to the IMT’s new Malaysian bloc the way it supported the group of Zamrose.

 

“The presence of the IMT in the province is a big help to the efforts of the provincial government, the police, the military and the MILF in addressing peace and security issues in all of our 36 towns,” Mangudadatu said.

 

The IMT has ceasefire monitoring offices in other provinces in mainland Mindanao and in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

 

Mangudadatu said there has not been any recorded MILF-military encounter anywhere in Maguindanao in the past six years.

 

Brig. Gen. Ariel Dela Vega of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division lauded the continuing involvement of Malaysia in the Mindanao peace process during a farewell dinner for Zamrose and his men in Cotabato City Saturday night.

 

The 6th ID has jurisdiction over Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces and several towns in the second district of Lanao del Sur, where the MILF has a strong presence.

 

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/03/13/1680674/malaysia-send-new-peacekeepers-mindanao

Troops hold preemptive patrol in Maguindanao after BIFF harassment

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 13): Troops hold preemptive patrol in Maguindanao after BIFF harassment

Government forces in Maguindanao have been conducting preemptive and reconnaissance patrols in the vicinity of military installations following renewed harassment by the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), the military here said Friday.

Capt. Arvin Encinas, speaking for the 6th Infantry Division, said the reconnaissance patrol in Maguindanao’s adjoining towns of Shariff Aguak, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Salibo and Mamasapano was a pro-active stance as the BIFF launched a series of “pocket offensives” in Datu Salibo and Datu Saudi Ampatuan towns over the weekend.

Two Huey helicopters of the 12th Composite Air Support of the Philippine Air Force were seen hovering around Maguindanao in Sunday and early Monday to back ground troops.

The BIFF harassment, Encinas said, left one soldier slightly injured after the bandits set off an improvised explosive in Barangay Sambolawan, Datu Salibo town on Friday.

Encinas said an undetermined number of BIFF armed men attacked at 7 p.m. the detachment of 57th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Sambolawan that injured Sgt. Greg Jordan.

A 10-minute firefight ensued until the gunmen fled.

It was the second harassment by suspected BIFF since last week. On Wednesday, an IED was set off by the BIFF in Barangay Timbangan, Datu Salibo that left a soldier injured.

“The BIFF is training to prove it is still a force to reckon with so they conduct occasional harassment,” Encinas said.

Encinas assured commuters using the Cotabato-Isulan highway that the road remained passable but discouraged motorists to travel at night.

“We have security forces deployed along the highway to ensure the safety of motorists. The BIFF harassment was a desperate attempt by the lawless elements to send the message they are still there,” Encinas said.

BIFF spokesperson Abu Misry Mama said their enemies are government forces and not civilians or non-combatants.

He said his group will continue harassing soldiers.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=971105

Pursuit operations on for NPA suspects in bus torching

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 13): Pursuit operations on for NPA suspects in bus torching

MAKILALA, North Cotabato -- Pursuit operations are underway for suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who torched around 8:30 a.m. Monday a unit of the Yellow Bus Line (YBL) at a secluded section of the highway in Barangay San Vicente here.

Authorities said that YBL unit bearing body no. 1888 was heading towards Davao City from Tacurong City when flagged down by six young men, aged between 18–20 years old.

The men quickly boarded the bus, pulled out handguns and declared they are NPA members amid the presence of some 30 terrified passengers.

The bus driver, identified as Victor Serondo, said the group ordered him to maneuver some 50 meters away from the highway to Sitio Bagong Silang in the same village and were told to disembark together with the passengers.

The armed men quickly opened gasoline-filled containers from their backpacks and set the bus on fire.

The suspects fled from the scene aboard five get-away motorcycles.

Responding authorities said the bus driver, conductor, two bus inspectors and all the bus passengers were not harmed during the incident.

Joint police and military roadblocks were immediately set up along the Makilala highway as pursuit operations were launched.

Local officials condemned the incident.

Makilala is one of the towns in North Cotabato where the NPA rebels are often sighted.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=971155

Immigration officer, six others arrested for Islamic State links

From the Star Online (Mar 13): Immigration officer, six others arrested for Islamic State links

An Immigration officer was among seven suspected Islamic State (IS) militants who were arrested in Sabah and at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport from last Wednesday to Sunday.

The woman officer is alleged to have arranged for militants to travel without valid documents to Sabah before heading to southern Philippines.

The others included three Filipinos with permanent resident status.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the first arrest was made on a 27-year-old Filipino with PR status and an 18-year-old Filipino in Kota Kinabalu on Wednesday.

"The suspect with the PR status is believed to have secured funds for Malaysian fugitives Dr Mahmud Ahmad and Mohamad Joraimee Awang Raimee.

"The other suspect is an IS militant who have sworn allegiance to Abu Sayyaf senior leader Isnilon Hapilon," Khalid said in a statement on Monday.

The other arrests involved a 53-year-old ferry ticket seller and a labourer (both Filipinos with PR status) and the 31-year-old female Immigration officer in Sandakan on Thursday.

"The two suspects with PR status are believed to have assisted in the transit of three Indonesian IS militants to southern Philippines through Sabah.

"The Immigration officer had arranged for the entry of people without valid travel documents, including IS militants from Indonesia and Malaysia, into Sabah before they head to southern Philippines," he said.

The sixth suspect - a 36-year-old Filipino man - was detained in Sandakan on Thursday with plans to join the IS in Syria.

The seventh suspect, a 36-year-old Malaysian man who was a former medical assistant at Jerantut hospital, was arrested at KLIA on Sunday.

Khalid said the man went to Turkey in October last year and was trying to enter Syria with the help of known Indonesian militant Abu Fateh from Sulawesi but was caught by Turkish authorities on Jan 16 along with Indonesian militants and deported.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/13/immigration-officer-seven-nabbed-islamic-state-militants/