WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — TSG estimates that 700 to 1,000 fighters from the Southern Philippines and nearby regions of Indonesia and Malaysia have joined Daesh in Syria.
"The Islamic State needs a vacuum to continue its claim to territory and a caliphate," the TSG report said. "The group has yet to establish a Southeast Asian Wiliyah [province], but it is likely that it will do so this year, as its grip on Syria and Iraq weakens."
Lately, most of the world’s attention has focused on a buildup of Daesh fighters in Libya. But the terrorist group is finding Libya "a difficult place to remain and expand," the report explained.
A second cause for concern is the presence of several terrorist groups that have withstood varying degrees of military and law enforcement pressure, the report said.
These groups include Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines, which has pledged allegiance to Daesh. Abu Sayyaf beheaded a Canadian hostage this week after a ransom deadline had passed.
