No report of Filipinos recruited into ISIS—AFP

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday said it had yet to validate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s claim that Islamic State jihadists had recruited Filipinos.

 

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, AFP spokesman, said in a text message that the military had not yet received any verified information on any recruitment activities of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Philippines.

 

“We treat information only accurate if validated, and so far, there are no reports nor names if Filipinos that are in the Middle East [are] fighting for ISIS,” Zagala said in a statement forwarded by presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda to Malacañang reporters.

 

The military spokesperson added that the AFP “[would] coordinate if need be with Mayor Duterte” so that the information on ISIS recruitment could be “processed and validated.”

 

Duterte was reported to have said in a local television program that the ISIS had recruited young Filipinos from Davao to fight government forces in Syria and Iraq.

 

Former President Fidel Ramos also claimed last week that the ISIS were currently training at least 100 Filipinos.

 

In a separate text message, Lt. Gen. Rainier Cruz III of the AFP Eastern Mindanao Command said his troop was investigating the alleged ISIS recruitment activities in his area.

 

Earlier this month, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Abu Sayyaf rebels were reported to gave pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadists. —with a report from Rouchelle Dinglasan/NB, GMA News