Hapilon, Omarkhayam Maute killed
THE HEAD of the Islamic State (IS) group in Southeast Asia and another leader of the siege since May of a southern city in the Philippines have been killed in the battle to reclaim the militantheld Marawi City in Lanao del Sur, the country’s defense secretary said Monday, Oct. 16.
The death of Isnilon Hapilon, who figures on the US “most wanted terrorists” list, came during a push to end the four-month siege of Marawi, a battle that has claimed more than 1,000 lives and raised fears that IS was seeking to set up a regional base in the southern Philippines.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte and security analysts say Mr. Hapilon has been a key figure in the jihadist outfit’s drive to establish a Southeast Asian caliphate as they suffer battlefield defeats in Iraq and Syria.
“(Our troops) were able to get Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute. They were both killed,” Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana told reporters, referring to one of the Maute brothers who led the attack with Mr. Hapilon on Marawi in May.
The US government had offered a $5-million bounty for information leading to Mr. 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 organization.”
Mr. Lorenzana said ground forces mounting a final assault on the militants in Marawi killed Mr. Hapilon and Omarkhayam Maute, one of two brothers who led a militant group allied to Mr. Hapilon, early Monday.
DNA tests will be carried out on the two bodies because of the reward offer from the US and Philippine governments, he added.
“The implication of this development is that the Marawi incident is almost over and we may announce the termination of hostilities in a couple of days,” Mr. 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 Mr. Hapilon, authorities said. The Philippine military says Mr. Hapilon joined forces with the Maute group to plan the rampage. Since then more than 1,000 people have been killed and 400,000 residents displaced. Mr. Duterte has imposed martial law across the southern third of the Philippines to quell the militant threat.
CENTER OF GRAVITY
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. —