PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday urged Mindanaoans not to let Islamic State-inspired groups gain new ground even as local officials in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao were told to prepare for more attacks in the coming days.
Resuming his public engagement after getting out of public sight for almost a week because he was “extremely tired”—Duterte admitted that the government may have ‘taken for granted’ the arms trade between and among Moro groups and private armies that allowed them to stockpile firearms as the ongoing siege in Marawi escalated.
“These Maute and ISIS, what they knew only is killing people. Do not let them enter,” Duterte said in a speech at Cabadbaran City amid reports that extremists were slowly slipping out of war-torn Marawi City.
Duterte told his fellow Mindanaons not to believe in the extremists’ ideology of killing non-Muslims.
“Huwag ninyong isipin ang idea na tayong lahat ay magpatayan… You rise to become the symbol of unity and cooperation in the region,” Duterte said.
“I ask for your continued vigilance as we restore public order in the fight against terrorism,” he added.
The President made the appeal as ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman met with Lanao del Sur mayors on Saturday telling them to prepare amid impeding attacks by the Maute group.
Speaking to reporters, ARMM Assemblyman and Crisis Coordinating Committee spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong said Hataman told mayors in the besieged province to strengthen their defenses against extremists.
“The governor of ARMM together with some mayors of Lanao del Sur discussed the strengthening of the civilian defense security plan in order to mobilize civilian force … as first line of defense to prepare for possible attacks by the ISIS-linked local militant group,” Adiong said.
“Mayors and the municipalities [should] proactively prepare a plan in so far as the possible of attack by the same group,” he added.
Military officials earlier confirmed that some of the Islamist militants who stormed Marawi City may have already left the conflict zone by mingling with fleeing residents, with security already tightened in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro as to with the ongoing lookout for suspicious characters who might “attempt to sow some confusion or sow terror.”
This was the same assessment made by Professor Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research Inc.
“May nakalabas na dahil … ˆ-anticipate ng threat groups na ito na magkakaroon ng airstrike at pinaghandaan talaga nila na i-confront sila ng government forces [Some of them got out. They anticipated that there would be air strikes and they had prepared for this, to confront government forces. So they built tunnels, they stockpiled arms and food],” said Prof. “Napaghandaan nila ito, gumawa sila ng tunnels, nag-imbak sila ng mga armas at pagkain,” Banlaoi said.
Banlaoi earlier claimed that terrorist groups in Mindanao have formed a stronger coalition under the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The new terrorist group is called “Daulah Islamiyah Wilayatul Mashriq” or the “Islamic State East Asia Division.”
Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon was reportedly appointed as an “emir” of ISIS in the Philippines and will lead the establishment of a “wilayat” or a provincial ISIS territory in Lanao del Sur with the Maute group.
Banlaoi also pointed out that calling militants in Marawi City as Maute group is inaccurate as other terrorist groups have joined the attack on the Muslim-majority city.
“Yung threat groups na kinaharap ng government forces sa Marawi City ay hindi lamang Maute group yan… Ang kinakaharap ng ating pamahalaan ay isang unified group ng mga ISIS followers sa Pilipinas [The threats groups that government troops are fighting are not only from the Maute Group but a unified group of all ISIS followers in the Philippines],” Banlaoi said.
“Pero balwarte talaga ng Maute group ang Marawi City, kaya nga mismong si Isnilon Hapilon ang bumaba sa siyudad [But Marawi City is really Maute’s territory, that’s why Isnilon Hapilon descended in the city],” he added.
At least 14 terror groups have already unified and pledged allegiance to ISIS, Banlaoi added.
“Ang na-count namin na nag-pledge ng allegiance ay umabot na sa 14. Pero meron pang ibang grupo pero ang pinaka-armadong grupo na talagang nag-deploy ng kanilang combatants ay nanggaling sa Abu Sayyaf group, sa Maute group, Bangsamoro Islamic freedom fighters, at sa Khilafah Philippines at Khilafah Islamiyah Mindanao [We counted 14 groups of those who had pledged allegiance to the ISIS. But there are other groups as well. And the group with the high-powered weapons is the Abu Sayyaf].”
Banlaoi said it would be even harder for the government once the skirmishes in Marawi would be over since most militants have already fled to other areas in Mindanao.
“Tingin ko dito na mas malaking hamon ang kahaharapin ng ating government forces pagkatapos ng Marawi incident dahil magkakalat-kalat sila sa Mindanao. In fact karamihan ng combatants nila ay pumunta na sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng Mindanao [The government forces faces a bigger challenge once the Marawi incident is over, since these groups will be scattered all over Mindanao],” he added. However, he pointed out that the ISIS would not be able to establish a caliphate in the country as government remains strong in thwarting such threat, and that the international community also is giving its support.
Air raids continue to flare anew and pockets of fierce ground combat rage between security forces and ISIS-inspired terror groups as the battle for Marawi continued on its third week.
More than 300 people have been killed in the battle for Marawi according to official estimates, including 225 militants, 59 soldiers and 26 civilians.
Talking to troops at nearby Butuan City, Duterte in a separate speech admitted that the ‘very soft policy’ of the government towards Moro rebels may have led to some lapses that have allowed extremist groups to continue stockpiling armaments, which may have aggravated the ongoing siege in the country’s south.
“It was not a question on the failure of intelligence on the part of the government, but we have adopted a very soft policy towards rebels. They’re bringing in arms, but we are thinking of getting peace with the MNLF and MI[LF] but the arms trade, and we took it for granted,” the President said.
While he admitted that at one point the government never really knew who their real enemy is—the President insisted that there was no “failure of intelligence” even as extremists continue to round up government forces in the continued fighting.
“What it turned out, the Maute were bringing firearms surreptitiously and we never got their number of armaments and firearms,” he said. “They were claiming they were MN or MI, [because] then, the standing offer is ‘baka sakali, mapakiusapan pa natin ang mga kapatid natin.’”
“But all the while, these Maute were in connivance with warlords, these Maute were stockpiling. Kaya hindi maubos yung M203 na bala, at napakarami. Magpaputok gubyerno ng isa—ang ibalik sa atin lima.”
“When the Maute rose to fight against the government, they were waiting for a reason which is an everyday occurence in the Philippines—they fought that’s why there was an exchange of fire,” he said, referring to the botched attempt to serve arrest warrants against top Abu Sayyaf Isnilon Hapilon, who is leading efforts to build a province in Southeast Asia.
Among the foreign fighters who came here in the country were a “conglomeration” of ISIS fighters from Syria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lankans, and Kuwaitis, Duterte said.
“The fighting is winding up, but at the cost of many soldiers also. And that is the danger ng Maute and ISIS.”
Meanwhile, the military said that the number of Maute members fighting the government forces in the strife torn city of Marawi has already “dwindled,” as soldiers continue to advance in areas the extremists used to have a strong hold. With PNA
“Enemy resistance continues to dwindle and enemy held areas continues (sic) to get smaller as troops advance,” the Joint Task Force Marawi said in its update report over the weekend.
Per latest data released by JTF Marawi to the media, there are now about 225 insurgents who were killed either by airstrikes or by engaging the government troops on the ground, while 208 assorted firearms were confiscated or recovered by the armed forces from the terrorists.
Fifty military personnel were reported to have been killed in action, the military said while 26 civilians had lost their lives as there are still residents who refused to leave their homes.
Out of 96 barangays in Marawi, the JTF said only four villages, especially Bangolo and Marinaut, remained as “problem areas” and where the military is focusing its assaults.
Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 1st Infantry Division, soldiers are on “clearing operations” in those four villages after troopers managed to retake some of the strategic points where the enemy snipers used to be positioned and inflict casualties.
“In these areas, the challenge for the advancing soldiers is the Maute Group’s use of civilians as human shields and mosques as the insurgents’ staging areas and safe havens,” Herrera said.
Earlier, the military had said that they will not attack or destroy the numerous mosques as these are places of worship for the city’s Muslim populace who considered them sacred.
“Tingin ko dito na mas malaking hamon ang kahaharapin ng ating government forces pagkatapos ng Marawi incident dahil magkakalat-kalat sila sa Mindanao. In fact karamihan ng combatants nila ay pumunta na sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng Mindanao,” he added.
However, he pointed out that ISIS would not be able to establish a caliphate in the country as government remains strong in thwarting such threat, and that the international community also is giving its support.
“Sa tingin ko mahihirapan talaga yung ISIS na maisakatuparan na magtayo ng teritoryo dito sa Pilipinas dahil matibay naman ang paninidigan ng pamahaalan natin. At the same time, mayroong support ng international community particularly sa neighbors natin sa South East Asia na hindi mangyari yan,” he added.
The JTF said General Eduardo Año, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, has reiterated his continuing guidance “to put a premium on civilian lives, respect for civilian properties during clearing operations and complete discipline among our men in uniform conducting military activities in the area.” With PNA