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Philippines intensifies anti-terrorism operation in southern region

Security forces of the Philippines are intensifying their operation targeting militants with IS links who returned from the Middle East, said Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on March 19.
Philippines intensifies anti-terrorism operation in southern region ảnh 1Philippine security forces (File photo AFP/VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Security forces of thePhilippines are intensifying their operation targeting militants with IS links whoreturned from the Middle East, said Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on March19.   

The secretary saidmany foreign gunmen who joined the IS are fleeing and returning to their owncountries after the IS lost its territories in Syria and Iraq. Therefore, if there areFilipinos fighting there in Syria, then they might come to the Philippines, hesaid.

Besides,experts said many IS core elements have decided to leave the Middle East afterlosing their major strongholds in Syria and Iraq. The militants have reportedlytargeted the Philippines as in their plan to build an IS caliphate in SoutheastAsia.

In such circumstance, the Philippines is enhancing itscooperation with Malaysia and Indonesia to prevent the militants from crossing borders.

A high-ranking officer of the Philippine military saidthere are about 40 to 100 foreign terrorists embedded in local terrorist groupsin the Philippines.

Lastweek, Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Philippine Army's 6thInfantry Division based in Mindanao, claimed that the military troops killed aforeign terrorist in Shariff Saydona Mustapha town in Maguindanao.

 Security officialshave earlier said that there are 40 foreign militants in the country. Theforeign terrorists, who include Indonesians, Malaysians, Pakistanis, Moroccans,Egyptians, and Singaporeans, are mostly in Sulu archipelago and Maguindanaoprovince in central Mindanao.-VNA
VNA
#Philippine security forces#militants#IS#Middle East#foreign gunmen#Syria#Iraq#Vietnamplus#Vietnam News Agency
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