Reports have surfaced that the Islamic State (IS) is strengthening its Southeast Asian unit in the Philippines by training the most wanted criminals and insurgents in the country to augment their forces in the Middle East.
The Philippine military intelligence is verifying the video recently circulating online showing young males donned in military gear training while holding IS flags as part of their operation in Southeast Asia.
A portion of the footage also showed a firefight set in the mountains but it is not clear where the video was taken.
A Malaysian militant identified as Mohd Rafu Udin told the men that if they won’t be sent to Syria, they will be assigned to join IS forces in the Philippines.
Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon is believed to be the overall leader of the IS in the Philippines. The video shows a man speaking in Filipino rallying fellow fighters to follow Hapilon and be prepared with incoming president Rodrigo Duterte's "deceitful tactics."
The Philippine military deduced the video as a propaganda and refrained the public from spreading it. However, Malaysia’s police counter-terrorism unit chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the video should not be treated as propaganda but it should be considered a serious threat in Southeast Asia.
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
Image: The Jakarta Post
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