3 Bangladeshis among 89 suspected foreign militants in Philippines

Philippine security forces are in the process of verifying information that alleges 89 foreign militants, including three Bangladeshis, were on the island of Mindanao in the country, the Philippine Star reported on Saturday. According to Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella as quoted in the report, it is believed that the foreigners entered Mindanao, the southern most island of the Philippines, via Indonesia or Malaysia. “Authorities are still validating the report that 89 suspected foreign fighters are in Mindanao,” Abella said in a statement. A police intelligence report obtained by Kyodo News showed that the 89 militants included three Bangladeshis, four Arabs, 28 Indonesians, 26 Pakistanis, 21 Malaysians, one Singaporean and one Indian-Singaporean. The remaining five were yet to be identified. Abella added that the Philippines were making a collective effort to tackle extremism through trilateral cooperation with Indonesia and Malaysia. A total of 280 terrorists and 69 government troopers  have died since clashes in Marawi began last May 23. At least eight of the terrorists killed during encounters in Marawi were foreign fighters.