Terrorists under fire; death toll rises to 19

THE death toll in the fighting between government troops and the Maute group climbed to 19, all of them terrorists, with at least 13 soldiers wounded in Butig, Lanao del Sur, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said Monday.

The hostilitiesheightened as President Rodolfo Duterte confirmed the Maute group is connected to the jihadist Islamic State.

“I just wanted to know the dimensions of our war. We are not good today because the intelligence community advised me that the ISIS is connected to the group in the Philippines called the Maute, which is waging war now in Lanao,” Duterte said during the ceremonial launch of a 135-megawatt power plant in Conecpcion, Iloilo. 

Duterte’s pronouncement was a departure from the government tack of denying links between the international terror group and local jihadists with the military claiming that local jihadists only proclaim this IS connections in order to raise funds for their cause.

Last August, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana admitted that the Maute group is already a threat to national security but denied their alleged links to IS, also known as Daesh.

The Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade poured more troops into the battle area as artillery and close air support from helicopter gunships continued to pound the terrorist positions, Padilla said.

The fighting started Saturday after terrorists occupied an abandoned municipal hall and uprooted some 16,000 residents in Butig town.

Padilla said some civilians refused to leave the area, saying they were hiding in areas where relatives of the Maute members lived.

Those who did not support the terrorists have long abandoned the town, he added.

He said internally displaced persons would not be an obstacle to the military operation as most of the civilians have already fled the town, leaving only Maute group relatives.

Government forces launched a new wave of attacks Monday morning.

Padilla said some of the terrorists were seen fleeing the battleground but some of them continue to hold their ground. 

The military has been able to drive the Maute group out of Butig twice, but the terrorists kept coming back.

The group is seeking recognition from the Islamic State terrorist group.

The recent bombing of a night market in Davao City that killed 15 people was the handiwork of the Maute group. Some of the bombers have been arrested.