As it became known that the gunmen who killed 15 people at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, over the weekend visited the Philippines just before the crime, attention is focusing on the fact that the Philippines is becoming a base for Islamic State (IS) extremists.
On the 17th (local time), CNN said, "Terror activity in the Philippines has declined in recent years, but many Islamic armed groups are still active in remote areas," adding, "They are also willing to train foreign fighters who have long flowed into the Philippines."
Earlier, Australian police said the suspects in the Bondi Beach shooting were "captivated by IS ideology," and confirmed that they had recently visited a region in the Philippines known as a hotbed of IS. ABC reported that the two suspects are believed to have received military-style training in the southern Philippines last month.
IS groups have been flocking to the Philippines for decades. Rommel Banlaoi, head of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said, "Armed groups have been operating in the southern Philippines for decades, and even before the 9/11 attacks they lured foreigners to participate in organizational activities."
In particular, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), linked to al-Qaida, is based on Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Unlike other parts of the Philippines, where most people are Catholic, Mindanao has a high proportion of Muslims.
Analysts say unstable politics helped the Philippines become an IS hub. Greg Barton, head of the School of International Islamic Politics at Deakin University in Australia, said, "The Philippines has historically lacked a stable governing environment, only relatively recently consolidating democracy," adding, "Mindanao, among them, was an undeveloped area close to a lawless zone."
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has also said that "IS is exploiting the poor economic and social conditions of the Philippines, particularly in central Mindanao, to recruit members."
Mindanao, in particular, has many mountainous areas, creating a favorable environment for IS groups to set up camps in sparsely populated regions and train fighters. The Philippines is also regarded as a country with lax border controls, allowing foreigners to come and go illegally with relative ease.
Moreover, the fact that IS-affiliated groups have taken root in the Philippines for decades is drawing other organizations to the country. Banlaoi said, "The Philippines is the most preferred destination for foreign fighters from across Asia and around the world," adding, "Foreigners seeking training in the Philippines must be linked to local armed groups or extremist networks to access training facilities."
However, after the former Philippine administration of Rodrigo Duterte passed an anti-terror law in 2020 allowing the prosecution of those who supported, incited or aided violent acts, and signed peace deals with armed groups, the number of terror incidents in the Philippines has been trending downward. CNN said, "That does not mean the danger has disappeared," adding, "Some of the armed groups that signed peace agreements remain armed."