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Fighters from the Islamic State march in Raqqa, Syria. Photo: AP

Philippines begins inquiry into Filipino militants in Syria

The Philippines is investigating the involvement of Filipino Islamists in the three-year civil war in Syria after two were reported killed fighting for the Islamic State militant group, an intelligence official said.

The Philippines is investigating the involvement of Filipino Islamists in the three-year civil war in Syria after two were reported killed fighting for the Islamic State militant group, an intelligence official said yesterday.

A senior police intelligence official said Manila was also monitoring young Filipino Muslims who have gone to Syria and Iraq, and then tried to radicalise others on their return home.

The Philippines has been battling its own small but violent Islamist militant group, Abu Sayyaf, which has been blamed for kidnappings, beheadings and bombings in the south.

Thousands of fighters from dozens of countries have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight with extremist groups, prompting the United States to draft a UN Security Council resolution demanding countries "prevent and suppress" the recruitment and travel of foreign fighters.

"These are disturbing developments that could affect our internal security situation," the intelligence official said.

"We have scant data based on intermittent information made available from different agencies, including the Department of Foreign Affairs. We are now exchanging intelligence with our foreign partners so we can build our own database."

Based on these exchanges, he said, they had noted a gradual increase of foreign fighters heading to Syria coming from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Xinjiang in western China.

But the movement is not only one way, he said. Some locals who saw action in Syria had returned to the south of the mainly Catholic state to spread extremist Muslim ideologies.

Documents showed two Filipino Muslims had died in the Syria conflict in March.

"One of them was raised in Syria and the other was a local-passport holder," said the intelligence official.

The Foreign Ministry also reported in May that about 100 Filipinos travelled to Iran to undergo military training and were subsequently deployed in Syria.

Rommel Banlaoi, of the Centre for Intelligence and National Security Studies, said the threats from Islamic State militants in the Philippines "is real rather than imagined".

Islamic State "is replacing al-Qaeda as the champion of the world Islamic caliphate", Banlaoi said, adding that a video on YouTube last month indicated an Islamic caliphate in the Philippines had been established. Militants from Abu Sayyaf, Khilafa Islamiyah Mindanao, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Muslim convert group Rajah Solaiman Islamic Movement had pledged support to Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.

 

Canadian Islamic preacher agrees to be deported from Philippines

A Canadian Islamic preacher detained for being a security threat in the Philippines has agreed to be deported, an immigration official said yesterday.

Jamaican-born Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips would be flown back to Canada as soon as possible, said immigration spokeswoman Elaine Tan.

"He voluntarily requested to be deported," she said, allowing the government to fly him out without going through deportation proceedings.

Philips was detained by police in the city of Davao last weekend while on a lecture tour in the south, where the country's Islamic minority is based.

"He was blacklisted [due to] information that he may conduct activities that are a threat to our national security," Tan said.

She said that the government hoped to fly Philips out quickly, but could not yet give a specific date.

In Davao, the regional police spokesman Superintendent Tony Rivera said Philips was ordered to be held due to security advisories from several countries, adding he may have ties to extremist groups and labelling him as "dangerous".

In a post on his Facebook page, dated September 10, Philips, 68, said: "I am safe and well-treated in Davao City immigration custody."

He also denied the allegations he was involved with extremists, expressing hope he eventually may return the Philippines.

He conceded being blacklisted in the Australia, the United States, Britain and Kenya, but said that was based on statements taken out of context.

Philips was the second Islamic convert preacher to be detained by the Philippines since July, when police also arrested and later deported Robert Edward Cerantonio to Australia.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Manila probes Filipinos' part in Syria war
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