[AFP] There are about 1,200 Islamic State operatives in the Philippines, including foreigners of whom 40 are from Indonesia, the Indonesian defense minister told an international security forum on Sunday. Speaking in Singapore, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu called the terrorists "killing machines" and urged full-scale regional cooperation against them.The threat of heightened terrorism, including the impending return of hundreds of Southeast Asian fighters who fought with ISIS in Syria and Iraq, has been a hot-button issue at the three-day Singapore summit also attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
"How can we tackle these foreign fighters? We have to be comprehensive. We have to find... complete ways but we must exercise caution, they are killing machines. Their aim is to kill other people so that's why it's our responsibility that we have common understanding, consensus and common proceedings on how to fight these foreign fighters," said Ryacudu, a retired general.
Philippine Defense Undersecretary Ricardo David, speaking at the same forum, said the 1,200 figure for total ISIS fighters in the Philippines mentioned by Indonesia was new to him. He said, "I really don't know, my figure is about 250-400, a lot less."
But David said there were 40 foreign ISIS fighters among those who seized parts of Marawi, eight of whom have been killed by government forces. Earlier, Philippine officials said the killed foreign fighters were from Malaysia, Indonesia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Chechnya.
The Philippine official said that the foreign fighters used "back channels" in the Sulu and Celebes Seas near the borders of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia to enter Mindanao and link up with local terrorists. David said, "That's why they were able to muster the operations in the area of Marawi."