ISIS next target in the Philippines will be outside Mindanao

We are discussing on a thread in a chat room about where ISIS might attack next after Marawi City in the Philippines.  The thread assumes that it will come within Mindanao.  A month ago, that was also my opinion.  We were hearing reports from Cotabato City of ISIS activity threatening local people with reprisals and killing a few of them.  There was a specific threat of chemical weapons used to terrify local people.   This has now gone quiet.  Using the freedom of manoeuvre granted by martial law, the AFP (The Armed Forces of the Philippines) have managed to eliminate this threat, and the sources in Cotabato City say everything has now gone quiet.

That suggests to me that ISIS will look outside Mindanao where the army is fully alerted and has been given a completely free hand to deal with the threat.

The rest of the Philippines offers plenty of other targets where there are significant Moslem populations, and the army does not have a free hand to stop a build-up of the threat.  An obvious target would be Cebu.  Located on the sea it would easy to deploy a force there suddenly.  There is a significant Moslem population, which could be used to prepare the ground for an attack.  The shock value of the target being outside Mindanao would be massive, and it would deal a heavy blow to Duterte which is exactly what the CIA wishes to achieve.

I dropped off this opinion twice in the thread (on facebook) and both times it was deleted, or went missing.  Maybe they’re taking the piss, or maybe I’ve struck on an idea which has validity here.

The Ayala Center would be an ideal location to defend as it forms a perfect circle/oval with multiple levels, making it much easier to defend than attack.  It would heartbreaking for Filipinos to see the bombers attacking and blowing this beautiful shopping and leisure location to pieces.  The economic effects of tourism would be huge.

I wouldn’t have blogged this unless Facebook kept deleting me whenever I write the next attack will be outside Mindanao.  Martial Law should be applied to the Visayas as a matter of urgency, would be my best suggestion.  The AFP will know what to do to defend such a high value target, and eliminate the threat.