SECURITY forces have spotted on their radar screen some 40 suspected terrorists reported to have entered the country’s porous archipelagic shoreline in the southern back door although they projected no imminent threat to replicate the Marawi City siege in other key cities in Mindanao.
But National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa said they were closely watching the moves of the suspects while still verifying if indeed the militants had entered Mindanao.
“We are closely watching if the 40 terrorists have already entered [the country]. We will be tracking them if they are inside the country and we will be having manhunt operations,” Dela Rosa declared.
At present, Dela Rosa revealed the PNP, the Armed Forces, the Coast Guard and all other intelligence agencies of government were in constant communication on the government campaign against terrorism.
In related developments:
• President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his apprehension over the growing threat of terrorism as rebel groups might regroup and unite as an affiliate of ISIS in the country.
“These terrorists, the New People’s Army and the rebellious factions in the Moro land are affiliated with ISIS,” the President said.
“At the end of the day, they would regroup,” Duterte told his audience, adding “I would not speculate about the MI, [referring to Moro Islamic] and MN [Moro National] but there is really a problem in the horizon, the darkening clouds of terrorism.”
• The AFP, while verifying the reported regrouping of the Islamic State-inspired terrorists Maute group responsible for the siege of Marawi City, admitted there would always be a gap in terms of security measures.
In a statement, AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bienvenido Datuin said they were “continuously monitoring and verifying every information related to any alleged movements of terror groups,” adding the AFP was in “constant coordination” with its foreign and local counterparts “to address the scourge of terrorism.”
“The main concern of the security sector is not only to address the armed component but the financial and logistics line of terrorist organizations,” Datuin said.
• Dela Rosa said the police officer who was arrested along with the widow of slain Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan had been dismissed from service.
Dela Rosa said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group would conduct a thorough investigation on the possible involvement of Senior Police Officer 4 Andy Atta in terrorism.
Juromee Dongon was arrested along with her relatives, including her sisters Lorelie Atta and Norein, in Lanao del Norte on Sunday. Atta is reported to be Lorelie’s husband.
They were arrested in Juromee’s home for allegedly supporting extremist groups and possessing firearms and explosives.
Last week, military and police intelligence operatives acting on feed information of its foreign counterparts, interdicted an Egyptian national suspected to have active links to the Islamic State in Malate district in Manila.
Fehmi Lassqued, a native of Egypt, Dela Rosa had claimed was an ISIS recruiter and former negotiator between ISIS leadership and local officials in Syria and Turkey and a former ISIS commander in Syria and Turkey.
While raising concern over the supposed presence of 40 terrorists in Mindanao, Dela Rosa allayed the fears for the terror group to launch large-scale attacks similar to the Marawi City episode in lieu of their strength.
“It will take sometime. Large scale attack like [that launched in] Marawi will take months or years in the making for them to carry out,” he said.
Despite that, the PNP and the military are formulating security and defense strategies for all major cities in Mindanao particularly in Davao to prevent a repeat of the Marawi City siege.
The terrorists, Dela Rosa said, were recruiting to fortify their ranks but the PNP and the AFP were addressing the matter to prevent the formation of terror forces.
“What we are guarding for (sic) now is the threat emanating from the remnants of the Maute ISIS to conduct pocket attacks, lone wolf attacks because they could easily carry [that] out. But on large scale attacks like Marawi siege, it would be difficult for now,” he added.
Recently, another five Special Action Force SAF battalions were formed to suppress the prevailing threat of terrorism in the country.
In a statement, AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bienvenido Datuin said they were “continuously monitoring and verifying every information related to any alleged movements of terror groups,” adding the AFP was in “constant coordination” with its foreign and local counterparts “to address the scourge of terrorism.”
“The main concern of the security sector is not only to address the armed component but the financial and logistics line of terrorist organizations,” Datuin said.
• Dela Rosa said the police officer who was arrested along with the widow of slain Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan had been dismissed from service.
Dela Rosa said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group would conduct a thorough investigation on the possible involvement of Senior Police Officer 4 Andy Atta in terrorism.
Juromee Dongon was arrested along with her relatives, including her sisters Lorelie Atta and Norein, in Lanao del Norte on Sunday. Atta is reported to be Lorelie’s husband.
They were arrested in Juromee’s home for allegedly supporting extremist groups and possessing firearms and explosives.
Last week, military and police intelligence operatives acting on feed information of its foreign counterparts, interdicted an Egyptian national suspected to have active links to the Islamic State in Malate district in Manila.
Fehmi Lassqued, a native of Egypt, Dela Rosa had claimed was an ISIS recruiter and former negotiator between ISIS leadership and local officials in Syria and Turkey and a former ISIS commander in Syria and Turkey.
While raising concern over the supposed presence of 40 terrorists in Mindanao, Dela Rosa allayed the fears for the terror group to launch large-scale attacks similar to the Marawi City episode in lieu of their strength.
“It will take sometime. Large scale attack like [that launched in] Marawi will take months or years in the making for them to carry out,” he said.
Despite that, the PNP and the military are formulating security and defense strategies for all major cities in Mindanao particularly in Davao to prevent a repeat of the Marawi City siege.
The terrorists, Dela Rosa said, were recruiting to fortify their ranks but the PNP and the AFP were addressing the matter to prevent the formation of terror forces.
“What we are guarding for (sic) now is the threat emanating from the remnants of the Maute ISIS to conduct pocket attacks, lone wolf attacks because they could easily carry [that] out. But on large scale attacks like Marawi siege, it would be difficult for now,” he added.
Recently, another five Special Action Force SAF battalions were formed to suppress the prevailing threat of terrorism in the country.