「日刊まにら新聞」ウェブ

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said the presence of foreign terrorist in the southern part of the country ''can no longer be felt'', but the military continues to look for them.

"We're looking for them. There are no traces of their presence however we do not lower our guards, we maintain our security posture," he said.

Sobejana said based on their data there are eight identified foreign terrorists in the country.

"We identify eight foreign terrorist fighters, (but) the secretary (of national defense Delfin Lorenzana) is right. Their presence can no longer be felt here in the area of responsibility of the Western Mindanao Command," he said.

Lorenzana made this remark in a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

"Our security posture remains at its highest... and of course we need the support of the civilians, especially we know that security is a shared responsibility," he added.

Sobejana added there are 59 individuals in their watchlist but the military have not yet verified if they are foreign terrorist fighters.

"We have 59 in the watchlist ...We have not yet confirmed if they are members of FTFs ( foreign terrorist fighters)," he said.

"It is not verified and we are not yet sure if they are really affiliated with the ISIS inspired terror group," he added. Robina Asido/DMS