(Eagle News) — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday said the government will take “bold and decisive steps” to ensure the country will not be a “haven” for the operations of terrorists, as reported by the United States State Department in its counterterrorism report for 2016.
“The Duterte administration recognized this early and will continue to take bold and decisive steps to eliminate this nefarious threat, destroy their resource channels from illicit drugs and other crimes..,” the DFA added in a statement.
In doing this, the DFA reiterated that the government would “work within the rule of law and with international partners.”
“The government will spare no effort to achieve these objectives and secure a safe and peaceful future for the Filipino people,” it added.
In the report, the US said Somalia, Yemen, northeastern Nigeria, portions of the Sinai Peninsula, and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border regions have become “safe-haven environments” for Islamic State fighters, apart from portions of the Philippines.
The department’s acting coordinator for counterterrorism, Justin Siberell, noted that while global attacks fell last year, half of them took place in Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and the Philippines.