(Eagle News) — Philippine government forces continued to battle Islamist militants in Marawi City as intelligence reports revealed that the Maute group had been reinforced not only by Abu Sayyaf rebels, but from other terror elements in Mindanao.
Former National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said that the Islamist militants were under the leadership of Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of the kidnapping-for-ransom gang Abu Sayyaf that is also believed to have only a few hundred gunmen but is blamed for the nation’s worst terrorist attacks.
Gonzales said that based on intelligence reports he had received, even the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) contributed men to the Islamist militants.
Government estimates say the Maute group has about 260 armed followers. The terrorists flew black IS flags for propaganda and to strengthen their request to be recognized by the international terror group.
President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law in Mindanao to contain the Islamist terror threat, and to hunt down the IS-inspired militants. He said that the Islamist militants wanted to establish a radical Islamic caliphate in Mindanao.
The firefight has already claimed 48 lives. More than 30 from the Islamist terrorists, including six foreigners.
Government forces are hopeful it could finish the terrorist groups within the 60-day time frame of the declared martial law. It had so far recovered some areas which Maute terrorists had previously occupied.
(with a report from Agence France Presse)