Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Terror suspect still in besieged city

ILIGAN, Philippines — One of Asia’s most-wanted militants is still hiding out in a city in the Southern Philippines where government forces backed by armoured vehicles and helicopters are battling gunmen linked to the Islamic State (IS) group, the country’s military chief said Friday (May 26).

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

ILIGAN, Philippines — One of Asia’s most-wanted militants is still hiding out in a city in the Southern Philippines where government forces backed by armoured vehicles and helicopters are battling gunmen linked to the Islamic State (IS) group, the country’s military chief said Friday (May 26).

The city of Marawi, home to some 200,000 people, has been under siege by militants since a government raid Tuesday night on a suspected hideout of Isnilon Hapilon, who is on Washington’s list of most-wanted terrorists.

“Right now, he is still inside (the city),” General Eduardo Ano told The Associated Press. “We cannot just pinpoint the particular spot.”

Militants are trying to find a way to extricate Hapilon, who suffered a stroke after a government airstrike wounded him in January, Gen Ano said. But soldiers have been going house-to-house to clear the city of militants.

“We will make this their cemetery,” he said, estimating that the operation could take about a week. “We have to finish this.”

Special forces commandoes were deployed to drive out the remaining 20 to 30 Maute group rebels holed-up in Marawi but encountered heavy resistance on Friday. The army said 11 soldiers and 31 militants have been killed.

President Rodrigo Duterte has imposed 60 days of martial law on the island of Mindanao, a traditional homeland of minority Muslims that encompasses the southern third of the nation and is home to 22 million people.

Mr Duterte ordered his troops to crush militants who are fighting street battles with government forces in the south, warning Friday that the country is at a grave risk of “contamination” by the IS group.

“You can say that ISIS is here already,” he told soldiers in Iligan, using the acronym for the IS terror group.

The president also gave his troops a free hand to wrest control of Marawi.

“You can arrest any person, search any house without warrant,” said Mr Duterte. At the same time, he also offered dialogue to militants who are not on the streets fighting.

“We can still talk about it,” Mr Duterte said. “But those who are out-and-out terrorists, and you cannot be convinced to stop fighting, so be it. Let us fight.”

The president also defended his proclamation of martial law in Mindanao, saying it was necessary to root out the militants who attacked Marawi on Tuesday, burning buildings and taking some dozen hostages.

The violence has forced thousands of people to flee and raised fears of growing extremism in the country. It was not immediately clear whether civilians were among the dead.

In a sign that the long-standing problem of militancy in the south could be expanding, Solicitor General Jose Calida said foreigners were fighting alongside the gunmen in Marawi, including Indonesians, Singaporeans and Malaysians.

The man at the center of the Marawi violence is Hapilon, an Arabic-speaking Islamic preacher known for his expertise in commando assaults. He is at the nexus of several militant groups that are trying to merge into a more powerful force.

Hapilon, who is a commander of the Abu Sayyaf militant group, pledged allegiance to the IS terror group in 2014. He also heads an alliance that includes at least 10 smaller militant groups, including the Maute, which have a heavy presence in Marawi and were instrumental in fighting off government forces in this week’s battles.

All these groups are inspired by the IS group, but so far there is no sign of significant, material ties.

“We have not seen any concrete evidence of material support from IS,” military spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said Thursday. But he added that the smaller groups “are working to really get that recognition and funds, of course.”

As the hunt for Hapilon and the rest of the insurgents continues, Brig Gen Padilla said on Friday (May 26) the military would censor the press and social media to protect "national security" across Mindanao, warning that violators would be arrested.

He said the censorship would be based on three conditions.

"One, to ensure the safety of lives, second to ensure operational security and ensure the safety of our men in uniform who are fighting, and for other national security considerations," he said.

Meanwhile, Washington has offered a US$5 million (S$6.9 million) reward for information leading to Hapilon’s capture, but he has proved elusive.

The army raided what it believed to be his hideout on Tuesday night in Marawi, but the militants called in reinforcements and were able to overpower government forces. Once again, Hapilon escaped. The military said it believes Hapilon was still in Marawi.

Much of Marawi remains a no-go zone, but disturbing details have emerged.

Militants forced their way into the Marawi Cathedral and seized a Catholic priest, 10 worshippers and three church workers, according to the city’s bishop, Edwin de la Pena. The black flags of the IS group were planted atop buildings and flown from commandeered vehicles, including a government ambulance and an armoured car, said Mr Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr, vice governor of Lanao del Sur province, of which Marawi is the capital.

More than half of the population of Marawi has cleared out, Mr Adiong said.

The Southern Philippines has been troubled by decades-long Muslim separatist uprisings in the predominantly Catholic nation.

Mr Duterte had repeatedly threatened to place the region under martial law, which allows him to use the armed forces to carry out arrests, searches and detentions more rapidly. But there are fears the expanded powers could further embolden a leader who already has been accused of allowing extrajudicial killings of thousands of people in his crackdown on illegal drugs.

AGENCIES

 

 

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.