AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–The Armed Forces of the Philippines said no Filipino rebels have been spotted training or joining extremists fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, AFP spokesman, made this clarification Wednesday in reaction to reports quoting former President Fidel Ramos as saying that there were at least 100 Filipinos now reportedly training with jihadists in the ISIS.
Ramos had said the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, have reportedly infiltrated Iraq to undergo training to return and be jihadists.
But Zagala said the military intelligence had not monitored any Filipinos present in the ISIS.–Cynthia D. Balana