Three 'Bangladesh' nationals joined IS-allied group in month-long Philippines clashes

Three Bangladeshi nationals are believed to have joined the Islamic State-allied group that has engaged in month-long clashes against the Philippines government in the southern region of Mindanao, according to the Manila Times.

The Philippine National Police received an intelligence report that 89 foreign terror suspects were in different areas in Mindanao, including Marawi City.

The intelligence report stated 28 Indonesians, 26 Pakistanis, 21 Malaysians, four Arabs, three Bangladeshis, one Indian-Singaporean, and one Singaporean were among the purported foreign ‘terrorists’.

The nationalities of the remaining five have yet to be identified.

“Authorities are still validating the report that 89 suspected foreign fighters are in Mindanao. They might have entered the Philippines via the backdoor, where the point of entry is Mindanao via Indonesia or Malaysia,” Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement on Saturday.

“This is the purpose why we are making a collective effort against terrorism and violent extremism through a trilateral cooperation with Indonesia and Malaysia."

“We have agreed to work together to jointly develop and implement counter-terrorism measures and strategies to prevent future terrorists attacks in the region,” he added.

Security forces in the Philippines have been engaged in a month-long clash with the IS-linked Maute group and its sympathisers in Mindanao’s Marawi City.

The authorities reported that 289 terrorists, 69 government troops and 26 civilians have been killed in the conflict as Jun 23.

At least eight of the terrorists killed in Marawi are foreign fighters, according to a report by The Philippine Star.