GROWING
these groups was a startling discovery for the Philippine authorities as many of these local groups have different political, religious and transnational agendas, with one fighting for autonomy in the south.
The Philippine government must assess the threat and understand what led these groups to combine forces in Marawi.
To address the threat, President Rodrigo Duterte and top military advisers worked with the United States.
US elite forces based in the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga have been operating since 2007 and have been collaborating with Philippine forces to combat terrorism in the south.
US forces have provided technical coverage in Marawi prior to bomb runs on Maute group targets and to prevent collateral damage.
Foreign forces are not allowed to assist in ground operations unless sanctioned by the Philippine government.
The Maute group is well entrenched and funded. Its modus operandi is guided by foreign Islamic State fighters and the current strategy is similar to that in Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria.
Tunnels have been found in the group’s operational sites that indicate the modus operandi of IS in Iraq and Syria.
Ammo caches have been in place in time for Ramadan attacks similar to the Ipil siege by the Abu Sayyaf in the 1990s.
The latest offensive doesn’t look like it will end soon as the Maute Group is not the only threat.
Marawi has a 96 per cent Muslim population. This shows that the population of Marawi benefits from Maute’s “Robin Hood” style of sharing their drug loot and illegal businesses with residents of the city.
The threat in Marawi should not lead to complacency for the rest of Asean as this threat has already been lurking in every member country.
Southeast Asia and Asean will see a new form of threat from the collaboration of terrorist groups in the region.