On May 23rd, 4th Light Reaction Company operators alongside a company of Scout-Rangers quietly approached the hideout of terrorist leader Isnilon Hapilon. The Philippine armed services had been conducting a long-term surveillance operation on the terrorist safe house, located among a small cluster of homes along a road on the outskirts of Marawi. The U.S. Special Forces-trained Philippine troops closed the distance, their breacher attaching what is known as a “water impulse charge” to the six-foot high front gate in order to explosively enter the structure and initiate the raid. The concrete three-story building had been specifically chosen by the Abu Sayyaf sub-commander for its defensive features. It was located on a road so narrow that one car could hardly pass at a time, which formed a choke point.
The 4th LRC operators initiated the explosive breach, gained entry to the safe house, and a firefight broke out on the ground floor. While the firefight raged, Hapilon managed to escape. What the operators did not know at the time was that they had just disrupted the planning of the most large-scale and deadly terrorist attack in their country’s history. For months, Hapilon had been working with the Maute Group to establish themselves as an ISIS affiliate in the Philippines, a so-called “wilayat,” or a province in the ISIS caliphate. The city of Marawi is almost entirely Muslim and combined with other social factors; the Maute Group was unopposed as they planned a massive terrorist operation which included establishing weapons caches around the city.....
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https://sofrep.com/95684/sofrep-exclusive-marawi-commander-details-what-really-happened-in-his-countrys-largest-terrorist-attack-and-how-his-men-fought-back/
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