At least 15 jihadists including an Indonesian have been killed as the military continues to pound their lairs with artillery and air assets, including the newly acquired FA-50 ”Golden Eagle” lead-in jet fighters in Butig, Lanao del Sur, Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Eduardo Año said Sunday.
Año said the wounded Abu Sayyaf Group sub-leader Isnilon Hapilon , who earlier pledged allegiance to Islamic State, is being brought around on a stretcher, and needs blood transfusion.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said earliler that Hapilon was seriously wounded in the first salvo of military operations against his group and the Maute Group, which provided him sanctuary.
Año said reports that Hapilon was seriously injured boosted the morale of the troops. “They [troops] are more motivated and the positive developments they have in Butig will actually instigate them to do more,” Año said.
Indonesian killed
The AFP chief also confirmed that an Indonesian, whom he identified as Mohisen, was among those killed in the ongoing military operation in Butig.Intelligence is still investigating the possible group affiliation of Mohisen - whether he is a member of ISIS, Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) or Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).
Hapilon and some of his men - based in Basilan - had traveled to Butig “at the behest” of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, reportedly to explore the possibility of making Central Mindanao IS' new haven in Asia.
The Indonesian with him, or Mohisen, could be an ideological leader with a mission to unite various local groups, and not a bomb expert, like previous foreign terrorists in Mindanao, officials said.
The Maute Group - blamed for the Sept. 2, 2016 Davao bombing that killed 15 - is led by brothers Mohammad and Omar, who earlier declared their allegiance to ISIS.
“According to intelligence report, a total of 15 already perished from the Maute and Hapilon groups. There are ongoing ground operations and we expect there will be encounters forthcoming,” Año said in a phone patch interview Sunday with defense reporters.
He said the deaths were caused by artillery barrages and FA-50 airstrikes, though he did not rule out the possibility that in coming days, the government troops might be involved in actual, on-ground firefights.
The AFP chief said that "based on intelligence reports, there are two more foreign jihadists [besides Mohisen] with Hapilon and Maute brothers. We’re still trying to get their names from sources on the ground. These foreigners are not necessarily fighters but they look like jihad advisers,” Año said.
Hapilon, Año said, is being carried on an improvised stretcher carried by his men. “Hapilon badly needs blood transfusion. If he can’t get proper medical treatment, he will die. As described by intelligence reports, he is bedridden,” he said.
Homegrown terror groups' alliance
Meanwhile, the military and police are monitoring the shaping up of a new umbrella terror alliance of all the homegrown terror groups under one banner called Dawlatul Islamiyah Waliyatul Masrik (DIWM), with Hapilon as top leader.
Año said the foreign jihad advisers were in Mindanao “to unite” all homegrown terror groups. Besides the ASG and the Mautes, the military listed other terror groups as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) - a faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) - Ansar al-Khilafa Philippines (AKP), and other breakaway factions of the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
On Friday, President Duterte had publicly appealed to the MILF and MNLF to make sure their base camps do not provide sanctuary to any jihadist, otherwise the government would be forced to penetrate their areas.
Soldiers recently killed in a shootout AKP leader Mohammad Jaafar Maguid alias Tokboy in Sarangani.
http://interaksyon.com/article/136652/15-jihadists-killed-in-lanao-artillery-airstrikes-afp-tracks-new-terror-groups-alliance
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