Military, Police Raise Doubts on ISIS Claim in Mindanao Clashes

The Daily Tribune (Philippines)

15 April 2016

Government security forces have dismissed as “purely propaganda” Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claim that its fighters were responsible for a number of bloody encounters with government troops in Mindanao, stressing there was no evidence directly linking southern Muslim rebels to the group.

SITE Intelligence, a US-based group that tracks online activity of jihadi organizations, reported ISIS had claimed responsibility for killing nearly 100 Philippine soldiers and had blown up seven trucks transporting them.
But Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said contrary to what the ISIS reportedly claimed, there were no trucks hit by bombs during the fighting.

At least 18 soldiers were killed in a 10-hour gun battle in Tipo-Tipo town last April 9.

“We lost only 18 soldiers but killed 28 Abu Sayyaf members since fighting began on Saturday. Our troops continued to pursue them and we will not stop until we achieve a decisive victory,” he stressed.

… Time Magazine, meanwhile, quoted Rohan Gunaratna, an international terrorism expert at S. Rajaratnam School of Security Studies in Singapore, as saying “It’s very likely that (Abu Sayyaf) will declare a satellite of the caliphate in the coming year.”

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