The military has assured that it is ready for a worst-case scenario and is prepared to apply its full might in the event that terror attacks by the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) happen in the country.
This was as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) maintained that there was no presence of the terrorist group in the country and that there was no credible link between the Isis and the local sympathizers here.
Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, AFP spokesperson, said no terrorist threats had been monitored so far despite claims by analysts that Isis-inspired militants were on the offensive in Mindanao.
He added that even if there were such security threats, the AFP and its partners in the Philippine National Police were more than ready with its worst-case scenario preparations.
“That is our assurance to the public, the capability of the AFP and PNP to apply our full force, our full military power against any threat, immediately,” said Padilla in a press briefing on Friday.
The military issued the statement in reaction to media reports that Isis sympathizers were on the offensive in Mindanao, with the recent clashes between government troops and local terrorists in Butig, Lanao del Sur, and the assassination attempt on a visiting Saudi Arabian preacher.
The visiting preacher is reportedly on an Isis hitlist although police investigators have yet to determine the gunman’s motive for the attack.
The military had repeatedly maintained that the country remained Isis-free even as Isis flags were reportedly recovered in an encounter in Sultan Kudarat in November last year, during which six members of the Ansar al-Khilafa, an Isis-inspired group, were killed.
Even as it assured that no terrorist threats had been monitored so far, the AFP reminded citizens to be vigilant and alert in watching out for possible threats to their community.
Padilla cited as an example of the military’s full power the series of clashes in Butig, Lanao del Sur, which led to the capture of two camps of the Maute group and the deaths of 24 rebels.
The military carried out an all-out counteroffensive with close air support and ground troops pursuing the remnants of the Maute group.
“We are not raising any alarm bells, we are telling people to go on with your normal lives … But with the caveat that you continue on staying alert, staying vigilant, because this is a very important participation of the community,” Padilla said. RC
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