Palace: No ISIS training camps in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang on Tuesday assured that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has not set up a training camp in the Philippines.

"What ISIS-linked personalities have done is to try to link-up with local jihadist/terrorist groups," Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.

Mail Online earlier reported that the international terrorist group has started its own camp in the Philippines.

The ISIS released a video showing their new recruits in the Philippines while working on their fitness and agility.

"Some of these ISIS-linked personalities, who are really few in number, have also sought refuge in the base areas of these local terrorist groups," Coloma added.

Mail Online reported that the new video suggests that the ISIS sees the Philippines as a potential site for expanding new bases.

Last month, the Palace stressed that there is no credible threat from the terrorist group despite reports that it has gained sympathizers in Mindanao.

Coloma earlier said that there are continuing efforts to confirm if there is a link of the jihadist group with other threat elements within and outside the country.

"Validation of information gathered thus far has produced no basis to confirm such reports. The intelligence community continues to monitor threats to ensure proper response by the security forces," Coloma said.