Extremists turn to social media for recruitment

In a report by ABS-CBN, he said that remnants of the Dawlah Islamiya – a group based in Lanao that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) is using Facebook and Telegram Messenger to recruit from Visayas and Luzon. (Pixabay photo)

It was on May 23 last year when the five-month battle for the city of Marawi started, but an expert claimed that a year after, some allies of the extremists behind the attack are using social media for recruiting new fighters.

“Very innovative sila (They are very innovative),” Professor Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence, and Terrorism Research commented in an interview with DZMM on May 23, Wednesday.

Banlaoi, who is also the president of the Center for Intelligence and National Research added, “We need to outsmart them before they outsmart us.”

In a report by ABS-CBN, he said that remnants of the Dawlah Islamiya – a group based in Lanao that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) are using Facebook and Telegram Messenger to recruit from Visayas and Luzon.

Furthermore, Banloi said in the same interview that one of the Marawi siege’s leaders Abu Dar is part of the group, and is planning to form alliances with Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Abu Sayyaf Group.

“Dine-demand ng ISIS na magkaroon ng unification lahat ng followers sa Pilipinas, at kung hindi man sila ma-unify as an organization, maging solid ang kanilang network to project one ISIS-Philippines (ISIS is demanding to have a unification with all the followers in the Philippines and if they cannot unify as an organization, they should at least have a solid network to project one ISIS-Philippines),” he said.

Banlaoi cited ground reports, adding that these extremists are planning to stage a repeat of the Marawi siege, as ISIS considers the Philippines as an “alternative home base.” He said that the intention of the ISIS Philippines to have another violent incident is very clear.

He, however, clarified that it may take years of planning, as the Marawi siege took three years in the making.

“Nagpapasalamat tayo na marami tayong napag-aralan sa Marawi siege, pero hindi nangangahulugan ito na magiging kampante na tayo sa sitwasyon dahil patuloy ang banta at ang banta ay seryoso (We are thankful that we learned a lot from the Marawi siege, but this does not mean that we can be complacent with the situation because the threat continues and it is serious),” Banloi said.