SINGAPORE—There are about 1,200 operatives of the Islamic State (IS) group in the Philippines, including foreigners of whom 40 are from Indonesia, the Indonesian defense minister told an international security forum on Sunday. “I was advised last night, 1,200 Isis (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) in the Philippines, around 40 from Indonesia,” Ryamizard told the Shangri-La Dialogue, using another name for the IS group. ADVERTISEMENTPhilippine Defense Undersecretary Ricardo David Jr., speaking at the same forum, said the figure of 1,200 IS fighters in the Philippines reported by Indonesia was new to him. “How can we tackle these foreign fighters? Earlier, Philippine officials said the slain foreign fighters were from Malaysia, Indonesia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Chechnya.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 04, 2017 16:18 UTC