he National Police now say 38 Indonesian citizens are believed to have been involved in clashes in Marawi, in the southern Philippines, between security forces and insurgents linked to the Islamic State (IS) movement.
“Four people were killed and 12 others have been deported by the Philippine government. Meanwhile, 22 Indonesians are reportedly still in Marawi,” National Police spokesperson Insp.Gen. Setyo Wasisto said at the police’s headquarters in South Jakarta on Friday.
He said the National Police were striving to prevent the IS-linked insurgents from spreading their influence to Indonesia. Hundreds of police officers and Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel had been deployed to guard Indonesia-Philippine border areas while the police’s Densus 88 counterterrorism squad continued to investigate and carry out background checks of Indonesians allegedly involved in the IS-linked terror groups in Marawi.
(Read also: Indonesians safely evacuated from Marawi)
“The North Sulawesi Police have deployed 119 personnel to three border islands, namely Marore, Miangas and Nangusa,” Setyo said.
Around 200 Brimob personnel would soon be deployed to support Indonesian Military personnel deployed to guard border posts, he added.
Philippine Police data previously released by the Indonesian Police originally revealed that seven Indonesian citizens were believed to have been involved in the Marawi clashes. One of the seven fighting for the Maute terrorist group in Marawi was reportedly killed in the conflict. (dis/ebf)
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