1,200 ISIS operatives in Philippines, says Indonesia

Singapore

THERE are about 1,200 Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (IS) group operatives in the Philippines, including foreigners of whom 40 are from Indonesia, the Indonesian defence minister told an international security forum on Sunday.

Speaking in Singapore amid a bloody standoff between Philippine troops and militants fighting under the ISIS flag in Marawi city, Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu urged full-scale regional cooperation against them.