(Eagle News) — Omar Maute and Isnilon Hapilon are still in Marawi’s battlezone along with the other Islamist terrorists who are still fighting it out with government troops, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
AFP Spokesperson Brig. General Restituto Padilla said the two Islamist militant leaders are leading the terrorists in fighting the government forces who are conducting what the military termed as the “final push” against the Islamist extremists. The Islamist militants’ territory has been reduced to about 20 hectares in Marawi City, and “very fierce” fighting is expected in the next few days, he said.
Padilla said they received the information from Western Mindanao Command chief Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez.
“They have reason to believe that only one of the Maute brothers remains in the fight, and this is Omar. The rest (of the Maute brothers) are believed to have been killed. But just the same, we need to, with finality and certainty, recover their bodies and subject them to DNA testing before a categorical statement can be issued,” Padilla said during Friday’s Mindanao Hour in Malacanang.
Padilla said that Abu Sayyaf leader Hapilon — acknowledged as an ISIS emir in the Philippines in an April 2016 ISIS weekly newsletter — is also in the Marawi battlezone.
Padilla explained that this was why there is still strong resistance from the Islamist terrorists in Marawi.
-Islamist terrorists confined to 20-hectare area
“The enemy now is confined to an area that has been reduced to about 20 hectares – 20 hectares of land area is where the enemy has been circulating around and still continuing their fight,” Padilla said.
He described the fighting as “very fierce.”
“Fighting has been very fierce. It has been a close quarter battle in the area,” Padilla said.
But he said that government forces would not stop until they have completely ran down and defeated the terrorists.
