GOVERNMENT soldiers killed the right-hand man of slain Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and another Maute group straggler Wednesday night as clearing operations continued in Marawi City.
Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., deputy commander of Joint Task Force Ranao, said the two stragglers were killed, while two soldiers were wounded in the firefight in the main battle area.
Brawner identified one of the casualties as Abu Talja, Hapilon’s lieutenant.
Brawner also said rehabilitation efforts continued in the war-torn city amid isolated firefights in the main battle area as clearing operations continued.
In Sarangani province, two brothers said to be “key players” of the terrorist Group Ansar Al-Khilafa Philippines, which has pledged allegiance to ISIS, were arrested late Wednesday evening.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency regional director Gil Castro said the suspects—Faroon Lumatao and his brother Alhotaibby Lumatao—were protecting the El Patron Drug Group that operates in South Central Mindanao.
Police on Thursday filed rebellion and other criminal charges against an Indonesian suspected to be a member of the Maute terrorist group before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
Muhammad Ilham Syahputra, 23, was arrested in Marawi City last Wednesday, and brought to the Prosecutor’s Office for inquest proceedings.
The police charged Syahputra with rebellion under Republic Act 134, illegal possession of firearms and explosives under Republic Act 10591 and Republic Act 9516, and crimes against humanity under Republic Act 9581.
Deputy City Prosecutor Alfredo Agcaoili and Assistant State Prosecutor Rodan Parrocha immediately submitted the complaint against Indonesian for resolution.
In its complaint, the Philippine National Police alleged that Syahputra was part of the Maute-ISIS group that attacked Marawi in May and battled government troops for five months.
“Based on accounts of rescued hostages, the ISIS-inspired Maute local terrorist group was reinforced by foreign nationals such as Indonesians, Malaysian and some were even Arabs,” the complaint said.
The police said Syahputra was arrested by civilians and militia under Marawi’s Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team after he was spotted swimming on Lanao Lake near the battle zone.
Seized from him were a .45 cal. pistol and bullets, fragmentation grenade and various foreign currencies worth about P17,000, an Indonesian passport and several fake IDs bearing the name Khoirul Hidayan.
Syahputra who spoke Tagalog fluently said he was an Islamic State member who came to the Philippines two years ago. He said there were at least 39 more Maute group stragglers in the main battle area in Marawi City, but Brawner could not confirm the number.
He said they were making sure that no stragglers or unexploded ordance remained and were clearing the area of cadavers, too.