IS Southeast Asia chief ‘killed in Philippines’
THE head of Islamic State in Southeast Asia, who figures on the US “most wanted terrorists” list, was killed yesterday in the battle to reclaim a militant-held Philippines city, officials said.
Isnilon Hapilon’s reported death came during a final push to end the fivemonth siege of Marawi, a battle that has claimed more than 1,000 lives and raised fears IS was seeking to set up a regional base in the southern Philippines.
President Rodrigo Duterte and security analysts say Hapilon has been a key figure in the jihadist outfit’s drive to establish a Southeast Asian caliphate as they suffer defeats in Iraq and Syria.
The military said the long-haired leader was killed in a dawn offensive alongside Omarkhayam Maute, one of two brothers who allied with Hapilon to plot the takeover of the city.
Philippine military’s chief of staff, General Eduardo Ano, showed a photo of what he said was Hapilon’s bloodied face.
The US government had offered a $5 million bounty for information leading to Hapilon’s arrest, describing the 51-year-old as a senior leader of the southern Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf group, which the US considers a “foreign terrorist organisation”.
Ano said Philippine ground forces launched an assault before dawn, spark- ing a four-hour gun battle that lead to the two leaders’ deaths. DNA tests will be carried out on the two bodies because of the reward offer from the US and Philippine governments.
“The Marawi incident is almost over, and we may announce the termination of hostilities in a couple of days,” Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
Philippine authorities have made several previous announcements on the imminent end of the conflict, but observers believe this time the forecast is likely to be accurate.
Pro-IS gunmen occupied parts of Marawi, the Islamic capital of the mainly Catholic Philippines, on May 23 following a foiled attempt by security forces to arrest Hapilon, authorities said. Since then more than 1,000 people have been killed and 400,000 residents displaced.
Duterte has imposed martial law across the southern third of the Philippines to quell the militant threat.
The insurgents have withstood a relentless US-backed bombing campaign and intense ground battles with troops that have left large parts of Marawi in ruins.
Troops were still pursuing dozens of fighters in the battle zone including Indonesians and Malaysians, Ano said, after rescuing 20 hostages over the weekend with a 2-month-old baby among them.