Terrorists continue to recruit members near Marawi, AFP says
Remnants of Islamic State-inspired terrorist continue to recruit members in areas around Marawi City by offering them money, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Friday.
In a press briefing in Malacanang, Colonel Edgard Arevalo, public affairs office chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the military has been coordinating with the other government agencies and communities to ensure the terrorist group would not succeed in recruiting new members.
"The recruitment that we're monitoring came from the remnants of the Maute-ISIS group," he said.
Arevalo said the recruitment has been "intensifying" and "they have offer of financial remuneration."
Arevalo said the terrorist group has also been using social media on its recruitment activities.
He refused to say if there were persons who have been arrested for recruitment.
Arevalo said those being recruited were also relatives of the terrorists and the youth "because they are the sectors of our society that are, could be considered vulnerable."
Congress recently approved President Rodrigo Duterte's request to further extend martial law for one year or until Dec. 31, 2018.
In his letter request to the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives, Duterte cited also the presence of the Turaife terrorist group.
According to Arevalo, the Turaife group is founded by certain "Abu Turaife," which has around 22 identified members.
Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao shortly after the Maute terrorists attacked and occupied Marawi on May 23. The martial law declaration, which was supposedly for 60 days only, was extended until end of the year.
But Duterte sought to further extend martial law until next year, claiming the continued rebellion in Mindanao by terrorist groups, as well as the communist rebels. Celerina Monte/DMS
