ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Ten members of the Islamic State (IS)-inspired Maute group were killed in a pre-dawn encounter yesterday with government troops who intercepted them as they tried to sneak into the main battle area in Marawi City to reinforce their group, a military official reported.
Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) and Joint Task Force Marawi spokesperson Capt. Jo-Ann Petinglay said soldiers caught the militants on board two motorized pumpboats in Lake Lanao, moving into the main battle area around 2:30 a.m.
A firefight erupted and lasted for three hours, followed by pursuit operations against the fleeing terrorists, according to Petinglay.
She said that around 5 a.m., government troops conducted a search operation that yielded five bodies from the Maute group, an M16 rifle and a motorized banca.
The dead were initially identified as Muktar, Abu Talib, Ismael, Samson and Nidal, all adolescents.
She added the five others were killed in the pursuit operations but their bodies were not recovered as their pumpboat sank during the fierce chase.
As of yesterday, soldiers and police forces were still searching for the remains of the slain militants in the 340-square kilometer lake.
Westmincom chief Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. said security around the lake will be heightened as they have anticipated attempts of the terrorists to reinforce their cornered comrades in the city’s main battle area.
“The plan of the terrorists was earlier reported to us, that is why it was easier for patrolling Special Forces Riverine units and maritime policemen to detect and neutralize the movement,” Galvez said, noting that the accomplishment of the government forces was a result of their successful coordination with local government units and civilian authorities in the area.
Galvez said the neutralization of the militants should serve as a warning to those who would try to escape and reinforce the terrorists.
“Our troops are ready for you. We will definitely get you,” Galvez said.
Maute death toll rises to 613
Yesterday’s encounter between government forces and the Maute brought the death toll of militants to 613.
Government forces also recovered 665 assorted high-powered firearms as fighting entered its 98th day yesterday, Petinglay said.
She added that no casualty from government troops has been reported since Sunday, although some 130 have been killed since the first day of hostilities.
Among civilians, the death tool stood at 45 while 1,728 were rescued.
About 1,270 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnances (UXO) were recovered in different structures in the main battle area.
Last Sunday alone, troops recovered 32 IEDs and UXOs rigged as traps by the Maute group in the remaining battle area, Petinglay said.
Cathedral retaken
Government troops have also finally cleared and regained control of St. Mary’s Cathedral since Friday afternoon – 95 days after the conflict started – but had to clear the Catholic church in the mainly Islamic center from IEDs.
Petinglay said troops from the 10th Infantry Battalion had to stealthily and decisively move in and recover the church located in Barangay Marinaut.
During the first week of the siege, the Maute group posted on social media a video of its members seizing the church and desecrating religious images by settling them on fire.
The group also seized Fr. Teresito “Chito” Suganob along with 10 other church devotees.
Petinglay said that after retaking the church, troops were able to recover three high-powered firearms and assorted ammunition.
This came barely a day after the troops also retook the Islamic Center and the Grand Mosque that the Maute had occupied to use as command and control center.
From the Islamic Center, the troops recovered three booby traps, one suicide bomb suit with IED, two Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers, one RPG rocket, one tripod for a 50-caliber machine gun and one Daesh black flag.
The troops also discovered a dug-in tunnel inside the mosque believed to be the hiding place of ammunition.
Augmenting troops
Meanwhile, another elite Scout Ranger battalion of the Philippine Army headed by a Negrense military officer is now in Marawi, as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) tries to finish off the remnants of the Maute group who continue to engage government troops in armed skirmishes.
The newly organized 5th Scout Ranger Battalion (5SRB), headed by Lt. Col. Marlo Jomalesa, a native of Silay City, Negros Occidental, arrived Saturday in the city.
Jomalesa yesterday said they would join other Scout Ranger units fighting against the Maute group for the past three months.
The 1st Scout Ranger Battalion, which used to be assigned in central Negros, is also in Marawi. It is with the 15th and 82nd Infantry Battalions under the supervision of the 3rd Infantry Division headed by Maj. Gen. Jon Aying.
Before their deployment to Marawi, Jomalesa said the 5SRB troopers underwent training in specialized courses, aside from the close-quarter battle, as the Marawi conflict is being fought in urban warfare.
Prefabricated materials for shelters
In a related development, the National Housing Authority (NHA) is now reportedly eyeing to use prefabricated materials to build better temporary shelters being planned out for 5,000 Marawi “bakwit” (evacuee) families, according to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Lanao del Norte-First Engineering District assistant district engineer Ade Mustapha Deron.
“Last week, it was discussed that it seems the NHA would scrap the building of bunkhouses and it would instead use prefabricated materials. They are planning on building a single attached, one-story house that has around a 22-square meter floor area. Each house would have its own toilet and a septic tank,” Deron said.
Deron added that the NHA is reportedly planning to start constructing the houses on Sept. 8, targeting to build three houses a day. – With John Unson, Gilbert Bayoran, Evelyn Macairan, Rhodina Villanueva, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Lino dela Cruz