Cotabato mayor says ISIS influence spreading in Central Mindanao

The mayor of Cotabato City has claimed that at least 1,000 residents of Central Mindanao have allied themselves with international terrorist group ISIS, a report on "24 Oras" said Wednesday.

Citing an unnamed source, Mayor Japal Gyani Jr. said the number of ISIS sympathizers from Central Mindanao is growing at an alarming rate.

He added that most of these individuals were from Cotabato City.

Gyani also said some 30 youths have already undergone training under the Ansar Al Khalifah, a local group known to sympathize with ISIS, the group responsible for the recent terrorist attacks in France, Lebanon and Russia that killed over 400 people.

The Department of National Defense, for its part, denied the mayor's claims.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has repeatedly stated that ISIS has no confirmed presence in the country. It also said that local bandit groups are only claiming to be ISIS sympathizers to gain funds and notoriety.

In an operation in Sultan Kudarat on November 26, combined police and military personnel killed eight members of Ansar Al Khalifah, including an Indonesian bomb expert.

Among the items recovered from the slain bandits were ISIS flags. —Andrei Medina/KBK, GMA News