Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte asked all soldiers to be prepared and vigilant as he expects more terror attacks by Abu Sayyaf militant similar to the Davao City market blast that left 15 people killed at at least 70 others injured. "So you have to train more, you have to reinvent yourself from a soldier in uniform to all of you being intelligence operatives," Duterte said during his visit to the headquarters of the Philippine Army's 5th Infantry Division in Gamu, Isabela. Duterte has ordered an all-out offensive against the Abu Sayyaf Group, which is still holding several foreigners and locals captive, in Sulu and Basilan. Dozens of soldiers and members of the local terror group have been killed in the military's offensive. He said that after the government has signed a peace pact with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army, the armed forces of the Philippines should not "relax" because of the bigger problem of terrorism, which he said, is just "on the horizon." He said the Abu Sayyaf's main objective is the same as of the terror groups around Southeast Asia, to "establish a caliphate" or a kingdom for Muslims in the region. "They are hungry for a fight to establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia. Caliphate is a kingdom for the Muslims," Duterte said. "The problem is that they do not talk on the basis of what school you can give them," he said referring to previous local services the militants have asked for. "It's either the caliphate or nothing." The Philippine defense department has said there were no formal links between the group and Daesh (the so-called) which holds vast swathes of Iraq and Syria. "They are IS inspired and not actually ISIS supported. They are just IS wannabes," defense department spokesman Arsenio Andolong said. Duterte, who has restarted peace talks with the country's two major Muslim rebel groups since taking office on June 30, initially pleaded for peace with Abu Sayyaf but has since hardened his position and branded them as terrorists. Last month, he launched an offensive against the militants, ordering the military to "destroy" them. He sent thousands of troops to Abu Sayyaf strongholds in the southern islands of Jolo and Basilan in an assault that had killed 15 soldiers and 32 militants according to the military. — Agencies
