Philippine forces attack militants
CIVILIANS WAVE WHITE FLAGS FEARING BEING CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE
>> MARAWI: Philippine military jets fired rockets at militant positions yesterday as soldiers fought to wrest control of a southern city from gunmen linked to the Islamic State group, witnesses said. Civilians waved flags from their windows to show they are not combatants.
The city of Marawi, home to some 200,000 people, has been under siege by IS-linked militants since a failed raid Tuesday night on a suspected hideout of Isnilon Hapilon, who is on Washington’s list of most-wanted terrorists. Mr Hapilon got away and fighters loyal to him took over parts of the city, burning buildings and seizing about a dozen hostages, including a priest. Their condition was not known.
At least 44 people have died in the fighting, including 31 militants and 11 soldiers, officials say.
Two civilians were also confirmed killed inside a hospital that the gunmen had occupied on Tuesday, and the military has said nine other people may have been murdered at a militant checkpoint.
The violence prompted President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday to declare 60 days of martial law in the southern Philippines, where a Muslim rebellion has raged for decades. But the recent violence has raised fears that extremism could be growing as smaller militant groups unify and align themselves with the ideology of the IS group.
Although Mr Hapilon and other groups in the southern Philippines have pledged allegiance to the IS, there is no clear sign of significant, material ties. Thousands of civilians have been fleeing. “I saw two jets swoop down and fire at rebel positions repeatedly,” Alexander Mangundatu, a security guard, said in Marawi as a plume of black smoke billowed in the distance. “I pity the civilians and the women who were near the targeted area. They’re getting caught in the conflict and I hope this ends soon.”
Military spokesman Brig Gen Restituto Padilla said government forces were working to “clear the city of all remnants of this group”. He said some civilians refused to evacuate because they want to guard their homes, slowing down the government operations. “But that’s fine as long as civilians are not hurt,” Brig Gen Padilla said.
The military warned yesterday it would step up the bombing assaults.
“In as much as we would like to avoid collateral damage, these rebels are forcing the hand of government by hiding and holding out inside private homes, government buildings and other facilities,” Brig Gen Padilla said. “Their refusal to surrender is holding the city captive. Hence, it is now increasingly becoming necessary to use more surgical air strikes to clear the city and to bring this rebellion to a quicker end.”
On Friday, Mr Duterte ordered his troops to crush the militants, warning that the country is at a grave risk of “contamination” by the IS group. Mr Duterte told soldiers in Iligan, a city near Marawi, that he had long feared that “contamination by Isis” loomed in the country’s future, using the acronym for the IS group. “You can say that Isis is here already,” he said.
But Mr Duterte said he was prepared to talk with the group’s leaders. His spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said this was partly an offer made in the spirit of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began in the Philippines yesterday.
Lt Gen Carlito Galvez Jr, a military commander, said civilians are enduring “extreme deprivation” because government services are unavailable and shops are closed. “These terrorist atrocities continue to sow terror and confusion even to non-combatant Muslims and Christians,” he said.
Mr Hapilon is still hiding out in the city under the protection of gunmen who are desperately trying to find a way to extricate him, said the Philippines’ military chief, Gen Eduardo Ano. He said Mr Hapilon suffered a stroke after a government air strike wounded him in January. Gen Ano predicted the military operation will take about a week as soldiers go house to house to clear the city of militants.
In a sign that the long-standing problem of militancy in the south could be expanding, Solicitor General Jose Calida said foreigners were fighting alongside the gunmen in Marawi, including Indonesians and Malaysians. Gen Ano also said foreign fighters were believed to be inside.
Mr Hapilon is an Abu Sayyaf commander who pledged allegiance to the IS group in 2014. He also heads an alliance of at least 10 smaller militant groups, including the Maute, which have a heavy presence in Marawi and were instrumental in fighting off government forces last week.