(Eagle News) — Omar Maute and Isnilon Hapilon were attempting to transfer to another building with their hostages when the military assaulted them in the main battle area in Marawi early Monday.
According to Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief General Eduardo Año, the two terrorist leaders were trying to get to the two boats they had asked their hostages to make but they couldn’t get to where these were because the military had sealed off the area.
He said in fact, prior to the assault, the terrorist group had already been floating around “millions” for anyone else to provide them a means of transportation to escape.
Año said this was the money they had looted from communities and from banks they attacked.
According to Año, the firefight lasted for long—from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
He said after the firefight that saw 20 hostages–including a two-month-old baby named by the Maute terrorists themselves–rescued, the authorities found the bodies of Hapilon and Maute, which were apart from the seven other bodies of the enemies they recovered.
Gunshot wounds in chest, head
Año said Hapilon–who was carrying an R4 gun with optics–died of a gunshot wound in the chest while fighting, while Maute–who was holding an M4—of a gunshot in the head delivered by a sniper.
“When I interviewed one of the hostages this morning, I asked ‘Ano kwentuhan niyo ni Hapilon at (Maute) doon? ‘ Isa lang daw sinasabi ng dalawa. Na mamamatay (sila) na lumalaban,” he said.
According to Año, the two terrorist leaders–who were identified by various individuals, including former Maute surrenderees and hostages and whose bodies are in the Task Force Trident headquarters—will be given a Muslim burial.
He said, however, that he will not disclose the area where they would be buried so sympathizers would not be able to use it to their advantage.
The military official said that with the deaths of Maute and Hapilon, who were the “centers of gravity” of the terrorists who overran Marawi in May, the remaining local terrorists in the city, whom he now calls “stragglers,” face a “debacle,”
“They cannot find another leader immediately…A lot of followers will abandon this cause and movement,” he said, noting that it would only be a “matter of days” before the liberation of the city.
No “sitting on laurels”
Even then, he said the military would not “sit on its laurels” and was now focused on clearing buildings, and rescuing the remaining 22 hostages, apart from the 39 relatives of the Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
He said around “30 or less” demoralized terrorists remained, including “less than eight” foreign terrorists.
He said the “prominent” terrorist Dr. Mahmud Ahmad was among those still in the main battle area.
“But their attitude is not like before. Di na ganun kaaggressive. We are very optimistic very soon, we will get them,” he said.
After the Marawi crisis is over, he said the military would run after the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu and Basilan, and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Maguindanao.
“We will make sure that there will be forces left behind here for reconstruction and rehabilitation, at may sympathizers pa diyan na kailangang ineutralize. Marami pang loose firearms,” he added.