THE Marawi siege that began in May had been orchestrated by the Islamic State (IS)-inspired Maute group, headed by Omar Maute from the Marawi region of the Philippines. The Maute group was supported by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), headed by Isnilon Hapilon, who, together with Omar Maute, took siege of the Marawi region, wanting to establish a “wilayat” or IS region.
On Oct 16, Hapilon and Maute were killed in an operation led by the Philippines Armed Forces (AFP). Led by Chief of Defence Forces, General Eduardo Ano, who retires this month, the operation could be his final wish for the offensive to clear the Marawi region of IS and IS-inspired groups.
The offensive should be a decisive end to the IS dominion in the Philippines, otherwise it could lead to a greater threat in the region, as claimed by some terrorism analysts.
AFP recently received support and technology provided by the United States and Australian forces in assisting intelligence gathering and the use of technological interception and urban warfare. Although AFP is well trained in jungle warfare, urban warfare was not part of AFP’s role.
The Maute group took advantage of the Marawi siege as it was ineffective in the forested areas, based on recent debacles in the mountainous ranges where AFP had defeated the Maute group.
Gathered with the advantages of addressing the threats in an urban area, it is known that Hapilon and Maute encountered the Light Reaction Regiment (LRR) of the AFP, a counterterrorism unit, at Vic Pandian Pier, Marawi City, in the early morning of Oct 16.
A fierce battle ensued, killing both leaders and militants. The remains were taken to the headquarters of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Trident, where AFP prepared the protocols.
According to sources, Hapilon has been keeping himself in a secured room in Marawi and in the many underground tunnels the Maute had built to move around the city.
He was never seen outside of his “bunker” until the Special Elite Unit of the LRR pinpointed his location based on a rescued hostage’s information.
The last bunker that Hapilon was in was where he was identified and tried to flee. However, his movements were targeted and he was defeated near the Vic Pandian Pier. Sources claim that he and Maute were seeking to slip into Sabah.
Dr Mahmoud Ahmad, a Malaysian who was a key leader involved in the initial planning of the Marawi siege, has, as at Oct 18, been confirmed dead by the AFP, but his body is yet to be found. According to a hostage rescued, his body was buried by the Maute group to avoid being discovered by the authorities.
The threat appears to have been neutralised, but authorities should still be concerned with ASG from whose ranks the new ASG leader will emerge.
It is unprecedented at the moment to state that there is no capable leader from the ranks of ASG to continue the group’s agenda. The offensive in Iraq and Syria by coalition forces against IS is preventing foreign fighters from embarking on their journey to the Middle East. They have found a new region to embark on their jihadist calls and struggles, and Southeast Asia is their new frontier.
The evolving threats of religious terrorism in the region will grow if Asean does not curtail the threat now. The influx of illegals, refugees, skilled foreign workers, students and professional workforce into the region is quadrupling, and immigration and border controls are lacking. The region is a conducive operational platform for criminal tentacles.
Although the threat of IS is said to have been neutralised in the Philippines, we, however, must understand that IS is a hybrid organisation, unlike al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.
IS has a global presence and social media is where it is soliciting the call for jihad globally. IS moves from one region to the next and if it is defeated in a region, it moves on to the next low-threat environment or gets involved with another conflict area, such as in Myanmar, where an ethnic and religious conflict is growing.
ANDRIAN RAJ is the Southeast Asia Regional Director for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals-Centre for Security Studies and is a national security and counterterrorism expert