COTABATO CITY: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Wednesday said the real threat from the Islamic Caliphate (IS) or Khilafah Islamiyah in Arabic is its “virus” ideology and not the small groups from the Philippines which are joining the IS caliphate in Iraq.

Last week, former president Fidel Ramos and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte revealed that there are some 100 members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), splinter groups of the MILF, who joined the IS in Iraq for training and returned home to apply what they learned.