The Armed Forces of the Philippines has downplayed the assessment of a Singapore-based terror expert that Mindanao is the next Isis hotspot.
According to Rohan Gunaratna, author of Inside al-Qaeda and head of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore, the next step of Isis in the Philippines is to declare a “wilayat” or province in Mindanao.
“To date, there is no credible, verified and direct link established, and the possibility of establishing of a satellite is unlikely. There remains no credible and direct connection to the bigger group in the Middle East up to this time,” said AFP spokesperson Col. Restituto Padilla.
“The recent pronouncement of ASG leader Isnilon Hapilon is part of their propaganda and does not necessarily reflect the existence of an ISIS-directed terror operation in the country,” he added.
