Gov't seeks foreign assistance to prevent possible attack against Pope

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government sought for help from allied countries to prevent possible threats when Pope Francis embarks on a five-day visit in the country, President Benigno S. Aquino III said today.

So far, state security forces have not monitored any direct threat to the pope, who will be in the country on Jan. 15-19, he said.

"We're touching base with so many allies to try and see... identify any threat whatsoever coming from any direction," he said, citing the coordination being conducted by the Philippine government with the International Criminal Police Organization ( Interpol) and the Southeast Asian countries.

He said the security forces were specifically on the lookout for the people that could be on the Interpol watch list who went to Syria or Iraq to join the militant group Islamic State (IS).

"Then ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) brother states that have some of their citizens suspected of wanting to join IS. Plus we have our own ongoing operations to deal with our own domestic terrorist threats," Aquino said.

Aside from Manila, the pope will also visit central Philippine province of Leyte to see the people who were displaced by typhoon Haiyan in November 2013.