Gov’t forces on lookout for Malaysian terrorist

MANILA, Philippines — Government forces tasked to clear Marawi City’s main battle area are searching for Malaysian terrorist Amin Baku.

Col. Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of the Joint Task Force Ranao, said Baku was among several foreign jihadists who took part in the siege of Marawi City on May 23.

“We are still searching for him, whether he is dead or alive. We have to find the body (if he is dead) as we are looking at the possibility that there are still foreign fighters in the area,” Brawner said.

He said Baku was among more than a dozen foreign jihadists said to have survived the sustained bombing and ground assaults by the military in the area.

Baku was formerly affiliated with the now defeated Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) regional terrorist network based in Mindanao. He was known to be a close associate of the slain Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan.

The search for Baku and other terrorist stragglers was based on the military’s belief that there are still foreign and local fighters left in the city’s main battle area close to the shorelines of Lake Lanao.

On Wednesday, village watchmen assisting government forces in securing the city from the terrorists arrested Indonesian Muhammad Ilham Syahputra while he was trying to escape from the city.

Following Syahputra’s arrest, government troops killed two Maute terrorists, one of them identified as Abu Talja, a trusted man of slain Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon.

Brawner, however, said the military has no actual figure as to how many foreign jihadists and local terrorists are still hiding in the main battle zone.

Syahputra had claimed there are 39 foreigners and Maute terrorists still holed up in the area.

“We don’t have their number and we don’t believe him (Syahputra) because he kept on changing his statements,” Brawner said.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the military is assessing the Indonesian’s claims that there are still stragglers in Marawi.

He added the AFP is still continuing clearing operations in the wake of statements of rescued hostages that there are explosives and booby traps left by the terrorists in some areas.  

“Based on the revelations of this last foreign national that was captured, he mentioned about 36. But we are still validating that number because there are about three buildings here that seem to house them. And that’s being checked,” Padilla said.

Following his arrest, Syahputra was immediately turned over to the police and flown to the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

The PNP said Syahputra would be facing charges of rebellion, illegal possession of firearms and explosives and violation of International Humanitarian Law.

Padilla said the AFP wants to have the Indonesian militant prosecuted and convicted of the crimes he committed in Marawi.

While Syahputra could be facing charges in the 2016 suicide attack that killed eight people in Jakarta, Padilla said the Indonesian would remain locked up for the offenses he committed here.

Padilla said it would be up to the Department of Justice to determine if Syahputra will be subjected to extradition.

No premature declaration

Padilla told a briefing at Malacañang yesterday that the declaration of the liberation of Marawi City was not premature despite the presence of Maute stragglers.

He said the stragglers were merely fighting for survival.

President Duterte declared the liberation of Marawi on Oct. 17, a day after government troops killed Hapilon and Omarkhayam Maute, the leaders of the terrorist group. 

Padilla said the remaining gunmen are leaderless following the killing of the two ringleaders.

“So they have no impact on the overall security of the place,” he said.

Padilla added the troops have orders to restrict the return of civilians to parts of Marawi.

“The reason we are trying to restrict that area is to ensure that not one of these terrorists may be able to escape because one terrorist who can escape has the potential of inflicting harm on many of our nationals,” Padilla said.

Despite the threat from these stragglers, Padilla said that of the 96 barangays of Marawi, only around 16 are yet to be occupied by evacuees in order to ensure their safety.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan cautioned concerned agencies about setting deadlines or announcing milestones in the effort to make Marawi safe again and rehabilitate the war-torn city.

“We have consistently cautioned all agencies involved in Marawi against prematurely setting deadlines because no one has full control over the political, economic, social, cultural, religious and security variables,” Honasan said.

Honasan made the statement as government troops continued to flush out Maute stragglers several days after officials declared Marawi as liberated.

“The military and police are only the ‘tip of the spear’ so to speak, whose mission is to neutralize any and all illegal armed groups in the country,” Honasan said.

More than 350,000 people from in and around Marawi were displaced because of the conflict.

About 10,000 Marawi residents have been allowed to return so far, mostly those who lived well outside the battle zone. A total of 33 barangays of the city was directly affected by the fighting.

About 33,000 others, whose homes are in so-called “controlled areas” that were spared the worst of the war, are set to follow, officials said.

Many of the displaced are living with relatives and friends, but tens of thousands without such support networks have been forced to live in makeshift evacuation centers.

The government is building new low-cost housing for this group. It has also launched cash-for-work schemes and given families P5,000 cash assistance and 17 days worth of relief goods.

– With Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero, Lino dela Cruz, Evelyn Macairan, Gilbert Bayoran