Police intelligence community have monitored the entry of five to 10 foreigners who have links with foreign terror groups, the purpose is to train with the local extremist groups in Mindanao.
Director General Ronald dela Rosa, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the foreigners came from different countries and arrived in various dates.
Of all the foreigners, he admitted that it is those coming from neighboring countries which makes it difficult for them to track down because of the similarity with the physical features of the local.
“They look like Filipinos too and when they learn our language or even the ethnic dialects, that’s what makes it difficult to distinguish them from Filipinos,” said dela Rosa.
Dela Rosa made the statement after the death of a Sudanese in a follow-up operation against the remnants of the Al Khalifa Philippines in Maasim town of Sarangani on Saturday.
The Sudanese was identified as a certain Abu Naila who was killed after he allegedly tried to fight off the government troopers. Also killed was a local woman identified only as Kadija.
The operation was part of the follow-up operation in Kiamba town on Thursday that left AKP leader Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, alias Tokboy and the arrest of his three men.
Reports reaching the police intelligence community revealed that the foreigners would go to the Philippines for their training before they are deployed in other countries.
In the case of the Sudanese, he was supposed to finish his training with AKP before his deployment in Syria.
Despite the apparent links of AKP and other terror groups in Mindanao with ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), security officials denied that there was already an existing strong links between the international terror group with local extremist groups.
Dela Rosa, however, said that they have been continuously intensifying their intelligence to monitor terror threats.
“We are monitoring them, we are on guard,” said dela Rosa.
Various armed groups in Mindanao have a history of alliance with international terror groups.
At the height of the Osama bin Laden-led al-Qaeda group, it was being linked then to various armed groups which include the Abu Sayyaf. (AARON B. RECUENCO)
