Still under martial law
Duterte concerned over remaining Maute militants holed up in Marawi
Philippines president concerned over remaining militants in Marawi.
There are remnants including networks supporting the Maute cause within Mindanao.
Ernesto Abella
MANILA: President Rodrigo Duterte will not lift martial law in Mindanao even if radical leaders and Marawi City siege instigators Isnilon Hapilon, Omar Maute, and Malaysian Dr Mahmud Ahmad are all dead.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella reiterated yesterday the statement issued by Duterte on Thursday that revoking the declaration of martial law in Mindanao would not happen “until the last terrorist is taken out”.
“The death of the ringleaders of the Marawi rebellion, which include Omar Maute, Isnilon Hapilon, and Dr Mahmud Ahmad, does not automatically result in the lifting of martial law,” Abella said during a media briefing in Malacañang.
According to Abella, there were still “remnants” of Maute supporters, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
“There are remnants including networks supporting the Maute cause within Mindanao. The president is duty-bound not to com- promise public safety,” he said.
But Abella said Duterte was set to convene the security cluster to discuss the issues and draw the next actions that needed to be taken by the government.
“The Commander-in-Chief, however, will confer with the members of his Cabinet’s Security, Justice and Peace Cluster, particularly the Secretary of National Defence, the designated Martial Law Administrator; and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, who is the designated Martial Law Implementor, on the necessary action to be taken,” he said.
Duterte placed the entire region of Mindanao under martial law after the local terrorist Maute group, attacked Marawi City in a bid to establish an IS-inspired caliphate there.
The 60- day martial rule in Mindanao was extended by Congress until Dec 31.
In a related development, Duterte was eager to credit new ally Beijing in the death of Isnilon, saying it was a Chinese rifle that fired the bullet that finished off Islamic State’s “emir” in SouthEast Asia.
The smoking gun that took out the region’s most feared insurgent on Monday was one of the 100 sniper rifles donated by China, Duterte said, although the ranger unit conducting the operation said the shot was fired from a heavier weapon mounted on an armoured vehicle.
Duterte is a huge fan of the Chinese rifles and took a pot-shot himself in the direction of mili- tants in Marawi City recently. Addressing businessmen and diplomats, he singled out ambassador Zhao Jianhua for China’s support that led to the crucial killing.
“I would like to officially inform you, Ambassador Zhao, that the rifle that killed Hapilon was a sniper rifle made in China,” Duterte announced late on Thursday, to warm applause from the crowd.
But the version of the final hours of the life of Isnilon and Omarkhayam, posted on the Facebook page of a member of the Army Scout Rangers, tells a different story.
The blow-by-blow account on “Scout Ranger Books”, posted the day Isnilon was killed, tells of how the 8th Scout Ranger Company was engaging militants and was not aware the rebel commanders were among those they killed, until fleeing hostages told them.
The soldiers operating at night used thermal imaging on an armoured vehicle and the shot that killed Hapilon came from a gun mounted on top of it, according to the account. No mention was made of Chinese weapons or snipers.
Prior to Duterte’s remarks, two soldiers in that vehicle told CNN Philippines the fixed weapon was remote controlled. A general in Marawi in command of the armoured assets said the fixed weapons are 50-calibre machine guns.
Duterte has made a big effort to befriend China and has frequently praised its leadership while in contrast, chiding defence treaty ally the United States, its biggest source of weapons and expertise, for what he calls hypocrisy and for treating his country “like a dog”.
Asked which gun killed Isnilon, Colonel Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of the Marawi task force, said he could not say for sure, as troops had used guns made by the United States, China and others countries. — Philippines Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network/Reuters