Filipino allegedly among Islamic State fighters in beheading video

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.

In a text message to GMA News Online, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said, "The authenticity of the video couldn't be ascertained. The law enforcement agencies must be consulted."

Cabunoc added that Islamic State recruitment activities in the country have not been confirmed and that security forces were “coordinating with local leaders to prevent ISIS recruitment efforts and join our counter-radicalization campaign in the communities."

It was reported last October that Islamic State was recruiting members from the students of the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU), with each recruit promised P70,000.

The WMSU administration had said that it was unaware of any such recruitment, and neither had the Education Department received reports of such.

The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Abu Sayyaf rebels had pledged themselves to ISIS in August of this year.

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