AFP: No more foreign terrorists in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — There are now zero foreign terrorists monitored on Philippine soil, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. announced yesterday.

Speaking at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing, he said the country, through the efforts of the military and other law enforcement agencies, is now safer for all.

“There are no foreign terrorists being monitored here in the Philippines for now. We have neutralized the last two of them last year,” Brawner declared in Filipino.

He added there are now numerous provinces that have been declared insurgency-free, including some provinces in Mindanao, making the country’s insurgency and local terrorist group problems more manageable.

On the New People’s Army (NPA), he shared that there are seven guerrilla fronts left that the military is working on dismantling, together with non-military means through the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

He noted that the whole-of-nation approach has convinced many NPA members to lay down their arms and avail of the comprehensive reintegration program that offers housing, livelihood and education programs for their children.

Meanwhile, military operations against local terror groups like the Maute terrorist group, Dawlah Islamiya and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters are continuing, as reported by the AFP chief.