AFP: We will not allow Mindanao to become a jihad destination
In this June 9, 2017 photo, a mosque is silhouetted against a setting sun near military operations in Marawi city, southern Philippines. Nearly every day for the past three weeks, the Philippine military has pounded the lakeside town of Marawi with rockets and bombs as it tries to wipe out militants linked to the Islamic State group in some of the most protracted urban combat to hit this volatile region in decades. AP/Aaron Favila
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Thursday assured the public that they will not allow ISIS terrorists to establish Mindanao as a "jihad" destination.
"The Armed Forces will not allow the ISIS to establish their Islamic caliphate here in Mindanao," Joint Task Force Marawi spokesperson Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera said in a press conference.
Herrera stressed that the military is committed to providing safety for every Filipino in the region.
"We intend to finish the fight as soon as possible. Our tactical commanders are doing their best to attain their military objectives," Herrera said.
On May 23, President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao following an armed confrontation between government forces and the Maute local terror group in Marawi City.
The AFP earlier said that only four barangays in Marawi City are being controlled by the ISIS-inspired group.
Government troops are still fighting against 150 to 200 militants, according to Herrera. Estimates on the number of terrorists in the city have varied from 50 to 100 in the first few hours of the crisis to up to 500.
About 66,738 families or 324,406 individuals have been displaced from Marawi following the armed conflict in the city, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Five percent of internally displaced persons stay in evacuation centers while 95 percent are home-based or stay with their friends and relatives.
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The government claims that the security operation to arrest fugitive Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon that led to the clashes helped prevent a planned takeover of the city by the Maute terrorists and Hapilon's men.
“The early action of the military and the government has actually preempted their plans to be able to capture the city. So we need to credit that. Yes, there were (intelligence reports) but it was something that had to be vetted and to be authorized properly,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a press briefing this week.
“Were it not for the early and decisive action of the military, then it would have been worse,” he added.
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