‘Marawi siege a magnet for foreign fighters’

With the ongoing crisis in Marawi City, the Philippines might become a “magnet” for Islamic State (IS) militants fleeing allied offensives in Mosul in Iraq, Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año said yesterday.

He said there are indications foreign fighters are attempting to come to the country to help like-minded militants, particularly those battling government troops in Marawi City.

“Yes, that’s what we’re carefully watching because efforts of the allied forces are turning out well, and they are forecasting an IS defeat in six

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“So we expect those displaced to go to Asia and because of the Marawi crisis, the Philippines might serve as a magnet. And we really have to be on guard,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the trilateral meeting on security among officials of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City.

Mosul used to be the center of the IS stronghold in Iraq. The historic district and a tiny area to its north are the only parts of the city still under the militants’ control.

The AFP chief said his men have monitored about 40 foreign fighters, including 20 Indonesians and six Malaysians, in Mindanao.

“Out of the 40, more or less half of them are scattered all around (Mindanao) but the others might be dead already, so we can’t validate properly because we did not recover bodies,” he explained.

On reports that 1,200 Indonesian fighters have joined the Marawi battle, he said the number could include members of the Maute group, the Abu Sayyaf and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

“They all think they’re IS, but in our eyes they’re not – they’re local,” Año stressed.

And although they have pledged allegiance to IS, they are “not 100 percent ISIS,” he pointed out.

He also said Abu Sayyaf group senior leader Isnilon Hapilon might still be alive, but not local terrorist leader Omar Maute.

A YouTube video post in July 2014 showed Hapilon swearing allegiance to ISIS.

Hapilon was reportedly designated leader of the IS Southeast Asia cell last year but his links to terror groups had long been established.

A military airstrike in Marawi City reportedly killed Omar Maute.

“Hapilon is still inside (Marawi), that’s why the militants remain defiant. But Omar Maute more or less appeared to be already dead,” Año said.

He added it would be difficult to give soldiers a deadline for ending the Marawi siege as it might give them undue pressure and ultimately undermine the campaign to liberate the city.

On Wednesday, the military cleared at least 56 buildings but one soldier was killed in the process.