Maute firepower

For a group seen as a ragtag band of violent misfits when it emerged about two years ago, the Maute is showing worrisome firepower. For over a week the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been pounding the terrorists with gunships and artillery, with ground troops also engaging the bandits in street firefights. Yet as of Friday, Maute and Abu Sayyaf fighters continued to hold out in Marawi, preventing the AFP from declaring an end to the siege of the city.

Who’s arming the Mautes? There’s the Islamic State international network. Downplayed by the government, authorities must nevertheless plug opportunities that IS might exploit to funnel financial and logistical support to the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups.

Malacañang and security officials have also vowed to unmask, arrest and possibly neutralize the terrorists’ local supporters. AFP and police officials said several of these supporters have been identified. Among the supporters believed to be providing guns and weapons to the group, according to the PNP, are local politicians who have tapped the Mautes for protection in drug trafficking activities. IS itself, security officials said, have found drug trafficking to be a lucrative source of raising funds.

The link between terrorism and drug trafficking, as cited by the government, can serve as another justification for a strong approach to the drug menace. But the link will have to be established clearly, through the arrest and prosecution of so-called narco politicians.

Many people are prepared to believe that drug money provided by politicians could be financing terrorist operations. Politicians have also been linked to the lucrative kidnapping activities of the Abu Sayyaf. This link has been blamed for the failure of the government to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf threat. It’s not farfetched to believe there is an unholy alliance between Maute terrorists and venal politicians.

While establishing the link and going after the narco politicians, the government must also confront the weaknesses that allow such politicians to provide guns and ammunition to bandits. Being a local government executive is no automatic license to build personal arsenals. Nur Misuari, in his twilight as governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and the Ampatuans behind the 2009 Maguindanao massacre showed how such arsenals could be misused to undermine public safety. The government must show that it can break the link between Maute terrorists and their political and foreign protectors.