AFP: Alleged involvement of Pinoy in beheading of Syrian soldiers may be ISIS propaganda

Claims that a Filipino was involved in the beheading of 18 Syrian soldiers may just be a propaganda by Islamic State fighters, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Thursday.

While saying that the military is still verifying the claims, AFP public affairs head Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc also told GMA News Online, "Pwedeng propaganda... to show they (IS fighters) are composed of different nationalities."

"We cannot be sure, but just because of his skin (color), his looks... He could be anyone from Asia," he added.

An online news website claimed in a November 18 post that a Filipino was among the Islamic State fighters seen in a video showing the beheading of around 18 Syrian soldiers.

The Daily Mail Online story also had a photo of the supposed Filipino, which it captioned, “Callous: Kurdish sources familiar with the movement of ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq identified this unnamed killer from the latest ISIS beheading video as a Filipino national.”

ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which was the former name of Islamic State.

Last August, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Abu Sayyaf bandits had pledged allegiance to ISIS.

BIFF spokesman Abu Misry Mama had said, "We have an alliance with the Islamic State and [with ISIS leader] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi."

However, Major General Edmundo Pangilinan, 6th Infantry Division commander, said they have not monitored any unusual activities after the supposed pledging.

Moreover, he said they have yet to receive any documents proving that the BIFF and the Abu Sayyaf Group have indeed alligned themselves with the Islamic State.

The BIFF is a splinter group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which signed a peace agreement with the government last March.

On the other hand, authorities describe the Abu Sayyaf as a radical group having links with the al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist organizations. — Amanda Fernandez /LBG, GMA News