Manila: Philippine troops have seized a major encampment of the militant Maute group, in Lanao del Sur, after three days of heavy fighting and bombardment by artillery and aircraft.
Military spokesman Brigadier Restituto Padilla, in a press briefing on Tuesday, said a main stronghold of the Maute, in the mountains of Sitio Pagalungan, was taken by government forces on Monday following an intense air and ground assault that utilised light bombers and fast-moving F/A 50 jets that dropped precision guided bombs on militant bunkers.
“We used combined forces from our personnel from the navy, army, and elements of the 1st Infantry Division under the 103rd Brigade. Based on the report that they sent out yesterday, 36 [militants] are believed to have been killed but validation is still continuing,” Padilla said.
The assault was the most extensive carried out on the group by the Philippine military since Maute surfaced two years ago.
Little is known about the background and motivations of the Maute except that it is led by two brothers — Omar and Abdullah Maute — former members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who were exposed to the teachings of the Daesh group.
Padilla said the armed forces were trying to confirm reports that among those who killed were foreigners.
He said, judging by the size of the captured Maute stronghold in Sitio Pagulungan, the group is sizeable.
“The encampment can house as many as 200 fighters,” Padilla said.
Brigadier Rolando Bautista, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said the offensive forced the Maute from its current stronghold and compelled them to break into smaller groups.
“The application of proportionate force such as surgical air strikes and use of precision munitions avoided collateral damage to non-combatants,” he said.
He said Maute was engaged in recruiting teenagers in the village of Tambo which is
near the boundary of Balindong and Piagapo.
“The recruitment of teenagers in towns forced the communities to coordinate and report Maute activities to the military,” he said.
“Government forces, local government units and communities will continue to work hand in hand to thwart banditry and terroristic activities and to ensure security, peace and development in Piagapo and adjacent municipalities,” Bautista said.
Maute has been blamed for a number of terror activities in the past, including a botched plan to bomb the United States Embassy several months ago.
Security officials said, aside from Maute, they are closely watching other militant groups such as the Rajah Soliman Group which is made up of former Christians who have embraced a hardline interpretation of Sharia.
