Police İn Philippines Muslim South Warn Of Youth Online

The police chief of a predominantly Christian city in the Philippines' Muslim south has urged parents to keep close watch of their children and their activities online to make sure they are not being influenced by Daesh ideology.



Sr. Supt. Angelito Casimiro, Zamboanga City police director, told Anadolu Agency Wednesday of the emergence of a phenomenon called "bedroom jihad," where people are allegedly indoctrinated through the Internet and social media, and eventually recruited to travel to Daesh-controlled Middle Eastern regions.



"We have children who are being radicalized in the bedrooms, not in the battle grounds or in the guerrilla bases," he warned.



Casimiro emphasized parental supervision, vigilance and awareness of their children's activities -- especially those online -- as critical to the city's security.



"We are trying to seek help from the family because the defense of the city starts from our own homes and on how we deal with our children," he added, encouraging parents to spend time with youths.



The police chief assured that there are currently no signs of Daesh-inspired groups and activities in Zamboanga City, but said authorities are not discounting the group's potential threat to residents.



Zamboanga City is still recovering from the trauma of a bloody siege by a Moro rebel group, the Moro National Liberation Front, in Sept. 2013 that left more than 300 people dead and thousands displaced.



Last year, two militant groups in the south Philippines – the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf -- pledged allegiance to Daesh, prompting fears that the group could make inroads in a region torn by decades of armed conflict.



A video posted on YouTube in July showed Basilan province-based Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and his men swearing allegiance to Daesh and its leader, Abu Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.



The role of Hapilon, who carries a U.S. bounty of $5 million on his head, in the video has been confirmed in the U.S. State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism 2014. - Zamboanga