ISIS still not in PHL — UN expert

ISIL insurgents (Wikipedia photo)

MANILA — Amid reports of recruitment in southern Philippines, an expert of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (UNCTED) on Thursday said that there is still no evidence that Jihadist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has reached the Philippines.

However, UNCTED Executive Director John Paul LaBorde said that there are indications that the terror group is extending to the east.

“There is no evidence that they are in the Philippines,” LaBorde said in a press conference at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday.

LaBorde said that with the series of counter-terrorism operations against ISIS, the group has lost fighters prompting it to expand to the east to recruit more members.

“The leaders of this organization want to expand to the east. Some indications say that they are trying to expand to the east,” LaBorde said.

“They will try to get [in] as much as they can,” he said by recruiting fighters and providing financial support.

“It is possible that one day they will come to our country,” LaBorde added.

The UN expert said that it is important to alert the civil society to be vigilant.

”Improve legislation to complement terrorism efforts of the government and dry up financial resources of suspected terrorist cells in the country,” LaBorde said.