THE EMERGENCE OF ISIS IN THE PHILIPPINES

In May 2017, the Islamic State Philippines (IS-P) engaged the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the city of Marawi in what became a violent, five-month battle that resulted in the death of 165 Filipino soldiers and policemen, 920 militants, and over 47 civilians, along with the near total destruction of the city. This thesis aims to understand the conditions that led to the battle of Marawi, including which insurgent groups in Mindanao pledged the bayat to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)—the oath of allegiance—and formed IS-P, and the resources these groups gained by aligning with ISIS. Using qualitative methods and visual analytics, the study reveals that ISIS gained a foothold in Mindanao by capitalizing on pre-existing Muslim insurgent groups that have historic grievances against the government. ISIS also brought important resources to the region, including foreign fighters, funding, social media support, and new tactics, techniques, and procedures. Ultimately, although the AFP ended the fighting in Marawi and eliminated two key insurgent leaders, the groups that formed IS-P and the underlying grievances still remain in Mindanao.http://archive.org/details/theemergenceofis1094559634Colonel, Philippine Marine CorpsMajor, United States ArmyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

How did the Islamic State Emerge in the Philippines?

Defense Analysis PosterOn 23 May 2017, the different terrorist groups in the Philippines that pledged allegiance to ISIS laid siege to Marawi City, Philippines. The 5- month battle that ensued between the government forces and the militants has resulted to a large number of casualties and close to 600,000 civilians displaced from the city. Although these terrorist groups, collectively named Islamic State-Philippines or IS-P, were tactically defeated, the threat of ISIS still persists