Philippine police detained suspected Islamic State recruiter in Zamboanga Sibugay

Philippine police said on Wednesday they had arrested a suspected Daesh recruiter and firearms supplier in southern Zamboanga Sibugay province.

The suspect, identified as Abdul Salikala, was seized during a raid by security forces in the municipality of Tungawan on Tuesday.

Police described him as “an ISIS-inspired supporter,” using another term for the terror group Daesh.

A warrant for Salikala’s arrest had been issued in relation to a 2011 murder case.

“He was also monitored recruiting both male and female individuals to be part of the IS/Daesh in Siocon,” police said in a statement.

According to police, Salikala had transported “undetermined numbers of high-powered firearms” from the municipality of Alicia in Zamboanga Sibugay to undisclosed locations in Siocon municipality, in neighboring Zamboanga del Norte province.

Ramboanga Sibugay police spokesperson Maj. Shellamie Chang told Arab News the suspect and some members of his family based in Zamboanga del Norte were supporters of Salahuddin Hassan of Dawlah Islamiya — also known as the Maute group — a militant organization in the southern Philippines that pledged allegiance to the Daesh in 2015.

“They are recruiting members of Daesh” Chang said. “They are connected to someone in Manila and, accordingly, the family is working together.”

The Maute group was decimated when the Philippines military stepped up a crackdown on Daesh affiliates in 2018. However, two years later, Hassan was designated leader of Daesh militants in the region.

He was killed by security forces in 2021.

Source: Arab News