Malaysian, Indonesian Fighters Back IS Leader in Last-Ditch Marawi Stand

Filipino militant Isnilon Hapilon, acknowledged head of the Islamic State (IS) in Southeast Asia, is alive and leading about 80 remaining fighters, including Malaysians and Indonesians, in the southern Philippine city of Marawi, officials said Monday.

The announcement came during a news conference in Manila as military officials briefly presented Catholic priest Teresito Soganub, who they said was rescued by troops from a mosque in the lakeside city.

“There are still foreign fighters, mostly Indonesian and Malaysian,” armed forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año told reporters, adding military officials believe about 10 Southeast Asians remain  engaged in combat.

Soganub, who was rescued along with a teacher, did not answer questions from reporters.

“Thank you to all of you and I pray for you. God bless you all. Pray for me, for my trauma healing recovery. Thank you, God bless you,” Soganub said. “Oh yeah, I am physically strong.”

Previously, the military said several fighters from the Middle East and Southeast Asia joined their Filipino counterparts from the Abu Sayyaf group, led by Hapilon, and the Maute gang.

Military officials admitted it was difficult to establish the actual number of enemy fighters, but on Monday said about 80 or so were still inside the battle zone. This was slightly higher than previous figures which were anywhere between 40 and 60 militants.

“In fact, the street-to-street fighting is ongoing as of this moment, and our forces are focused and determined to push the envelope so that soon we can say that Marawi is totally liberated,” military spokesman Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla said.

Officials on Monday said 673 militants, 149 soldiers and police and 47 civilians had been killed since fighting erupted on May 23.

Among the latest rebel casualties were Abdullah Maute, one of the leaders of the group bearing his name. Also killed were Madhi Maute and Otto Maute. Three other siblings, including Omarkhayyam, were believed to be alive, the military said.

But military officials said they had no proof of the deaths other than intelligence reports from IS-linked social media sites. Officials previously reported Omarkhayyam had been killed, only to walk back the claim.

Philippine troops march closer to ground-zero of gun battles in the southern city of Marawi, Sept. 16, 2017. (Jeoffrey Maitem/BenarNews.)

Priest offers thanks

Before Monday’s news conference, Soganub said there were many times during captivity he thought he would not make it out alive, and he had already resigned his fate to God.

But a massive military attack on a mosque on Saturday led to confusion that allowed the priest and a male teacher to escape.

In his brief statement while aboard a military helicopter that took him to Manila, Soganub said many hostages were still inside the militant lair, adding males were forced to carry weapons and dress up as rebel fighters.

Soganub, who has a long white beard and appeared frail, said he missed eating vegetables and chicken because during his captivity he and the other hostages were fed mostly canned sardines and instant noodles ransacked by the gunmen from abandoned homes in Marawi.

“There was plenty of rice. But because of the war, supplies became scarce,” he said. “They were strict there, you cannot get beyond what was allotted you.”

“To my brother Maranao Muslims in Marawi: I still believe in interfaith relationship that we could understand each other,” he said in his message to his captors. “We are not enemies. We should understand each other. We believe in one God.”

Soganub, 51, was freed along with Lordbin Acopio, 29, a teacher on Saturday.

On Monday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the military was “almost done” with the offensive, which is concentrated to about 10 hectares (25 acres).

Officials said about 45 hostages were held with Soganub at Marawi’s Bato mosque, and apart from the two of them who escaped, the rest could have been moved out by their captors using intricate tunnels and secret chambers they had dug.

President Rodrigo Duterte had said as many as 300 civilians were held hostage by the gunmen, but Soganub said he saw “100 to 200 hostages.”

The military said Soganub had told rescuing troops that he did not want to leave.

“We wanted to extricate him, told him we’ll go, he’d say, ‘It’s OK, just leave me here, I’ve accepted my fate,’” Año said, referring to the priest.

Felipe Villamor in Iligan City, Philippines contributed to this report.