Da'esh is in Mindanao – Duterte Right About That



The Philippines Government is Correct – ISIS is in Mindanao – Two People

(Abridged version of a major paper published here.)

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was not correct nor justified in declaring Martial Law in Mindanao and telling troops he will provide impunity for their raping up to three women each.

The Philippines heretofore has been of little interest to the Cabinet of the Islamic State.

Abu Sayyaf pitched ISIS for years but Maute group is unknown to the Islamic State Cabinet.

Philippines soldiers have been needling the small local Abu Sayyaf and Maute Islamic extremist groups for months. At the urging of the United States, something that once left Filipinos  massacred*, soldiers attempted to arrest one of Abu Sayyaf’s leaders, Isnilon Hapilon plus some leaders of the Maute Group.

*Mamasapano clash was an incident that occurred during a police operation, codenamed Oplan Exodus, which took place on Sunday, January 25, 2015, at Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao, by Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) (allegedly joined by United States Army Special Forces) against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The operation was intended to capture or kill wanted Malaysian terrorist and bomb-maker Zulkifli Abdhir and other Malaysian terrorists or high-ranking members of the BIFF. Forty-Four or more Filipinos were slaughtered.

To Duterte’s 2017 attacks, the Islamist extremists responded with everything they had, about 150 fighters with maybe another hundred in reserve.

Tempest in a Tea Pot?

The RINJ Foundation adduces that feeble attacks by the Philippines Army against Islamists in the south of the Philippines for the past six months and declaring Martial Law has exponentially driven up recruitment for the 150-member aggregate of Abu Sayyaf/Maute to several hundred fighters, still not enough to warrant declaring Martial Law.

ISIS will now pay attention to the Philippines thanks to Duterte’s sensational grasp at attention ‘getture’.

Dae’esh will exploit and welcome the diversion Duterte has offered as a distraction to the pummeling ISIS is taking in Syria and Iraq, using the diversion to help it regroup.

In fact, the Da’esh (Islamic State) Cabinet showed disdain for the past efforts of the Abu Sayyaf which at first mustered no more than 35 members, half of whom were women and children.

Today, according to sources in Iraq, there are no more than two persons from the Islamic State’s Syria and Iraq groups in the Philippines and because of the enormous cultural differences that’s likely all anyone will see.

In total the aggregate of the Maute and Abu Sayyaf there are only 150 core fighters. Recent growth thanks to Duterte’s method of annoying but not arresting the group, the numbers of the two might have reached 400. They will grow.

Abu Sayyaf activities heretofore have been focused on fund raising.

Abu Sayyaf members and supporters kidnap and ransom anyone for whom they think they can obtain money.

The Abu Sayyaf have brutally killed, as they were trained to do, numerous civilian tourists including two Canadians in early 2016.

Duterte’s military actions against the groups in the past 6 months have drawn volunteers like a magnet. The numbers are swelling at a colossal rate and current estimates a total fighting strength of 400 troops, many of whom are children, in aggregate.

Because of the enormous losses suffered by the Islamic State in the Middle East of Asia, it has little in the way of resources and money to back any uprising anywhere. It does not supply resources to the Philippines by any stretch of imagination.

The Abu Sayyaf and the Maute are pretty much on their own, relying on help from Jihadists in Malaysia and  Indonesia.

Da’esh fighters leaving Syria and Iraq are passing through Turkey, Jordan, Iran, Lebanon into other Middle East nations and both East and West Europe. They are in big trouble.

There are however many well-trained demolition experts  from Malaysia and Indonesia who have been in the Mindanao region for years.

Abu Sayyaf Came To The Caliphate

At some point in 2015 three members of the Abu Sayyaf group were observed in Mosul, Iraq by the security team assigned to protection of nurses and doctors of the RINJ Foundation medical clinics.

The Abu Sayyaf parties were considered visiting VIPS because they attended as Da’esh guests at the Warinth Hotel, formerly the Mosul International Hotel, north west of Mosul University, close to the Tigris River.

Only one Abu Sayyaf member returned back to the Philippines as far as we know.

The Abu Sayyaf group from Mindanao region of the Philippines made two attempts at creating a signature promotional video (PV) for the Philippines group.

The first attempt was rejected by Abu Mohammad al-Adnani in early to mid-2015. It was extremely crude. The finished product isn’t very much better. You can view it at The Reaper Team’s web site.

Following Adnani’s death in late summer 2015 a second effort was made to produce a promotional video for the Abu Sayyaf group and considerable travel and editing was done from Raqqah, Syria.

Mid-February 2016, members of The RINJ Foundation who had previously been employed at RSAC clinics inside Mosul, Iraq during the Islamic State occupation of that city, identified persons known to them in Mosul as a recruiter and a publicist at this Manila restaurant:

Feb 18 2016 sighting of Mosul-based ISlamic State Recruiter and trainer

Feb 18, 2016 Sighting of Mosul-Based Islamic State Emir/Recruiter. Click the picture to watch their video.

The observations were promptly reported to the intelligence community.

abu sayyaf on Philippines
Click the image to view the video.

Conclusion

  1. Duterte feels threatened by the possible ouster he may get for his murder of ten thousand innocent civilians.
  2. Duterte needed to seize absolute power through Martial Law to increase his staying power and that of his henchmen as did his hero, dictator Ferdinand Marcos who was ousted in 1986.
  3. New laws in the Philippines imply that the President can only institute Martial Law if the country faces rebellion or invasion. Duterte had to create one.
  4. US President Donald Trump who supports the Duterte Murders implored Duterte to arrest Abu Sayyaf subleader Isnilon Hapilon upon whom America has a $5 million bounty as a top, wanted terrorist criminal.
  5. Duterte saw the excuse for declaring Martial Law, something he has been intrigued with for the past 13 months. Even though he was told that all matters concerning the Abu Sayyaf and Maute lunatics were under control on May 23, Duterte ordered the military to seize power under Martial law to an enormous section, more than  25%, of the Philippines. He says he will soon place the rest of the country under Martial Law.
  6. The handful of rag-tag Islamist extremists  have been invaded and their cause has been given a multi-billion dollar promotion boost. They are stunned but pleased at the attention.
  7. The Islamic State Cabinet has instructed its team to exploit this publicity in every manner possible.
  8. At least 25 million Philippines civilians will pay the price in the loss of their human rights.
  9. The Philippines has now become a very bad place to be a Muslim.
  10. Between ‘lunatics’ Trump and Duterte, the end of the world as we know it is imminent.

For further updates, continue to check RINJ.press