12 January 2016
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- ISIS Splinter Group Forms in Popular British Tourist Hotspot on Australia’s Doorstep
Four Islamist militant groups, including the notorious Abu Sayyaf, have declared a “wilayat”, or an ISIS province, in the southern Philippines.
It follows similar fears over terror threats to tourists in Thailand last year.
A video posted to a jihadi website shows loyal fighters wielding the trademark black flags of the death cult – also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh.
Senior leaders of the new satellite terror group are also purported to pledge their allegiance to ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the short clip.
… Rohan Gunaratna, an Asian terror expert from the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore, said ISIS’ influence in the region was “likely to grow, affecting both the southern Philippines and eastern Malaysia”.
ICPVTR / GPO / Online