Philippine
armed forces helicopters fired guided rockets at Islamist militant positions on
Saturday in an attempt to end a siege in the southern city of Marawi that has
raged
for five days.
The use for
the first time of the heavy firepower came amid growing confidence that the
location of the man believed to be the leader of the Islamic State-inspired
fighters, Isnilon Hapilon, has been pinpointed in the city.
"We are
trying to use our maximum force," said Major General Carlito Galvez, who
heads the military command in the Western Mindanao region.
"The
main purpose of the offensive is to suppress the lawlessness and to maintain
normalcy in Marawi so that our people here, our countrymen, can return,
especially by Ramadan."
Ramadan,
Islam's month of fasting and prayer, began on Saturday and has special
significance in Marawi, which has a predominantly Muslim population is a
largely Catholic country.
The Maute
rebels' hold of Marawi City and the government's announcement that Indonesians
and Malaysians were among the fighters has raised alarm about the prospect of
Islamic State's radical ideology gaining traction Southeast Asia.
The Maute
have emerged from the glut of bandit and separatist groups in the southern
Philippines and are a tactically smart, social media savvy group eager to align
with Islamic State militants.
(For a
graphic on Islamic State-linked groups in Philippine south click
tmsnrt.rs/2rYIHTj)
Security
experts say Mindanao could become a draw for regional extremists and the
Maute's alignment with the Islamic State group and its ability to take on the
military could support moves to secure funding and recruit foreign and local
fighters.
A city of
200,000 people, Marawi is mostly deserted, with officials saying "80-90
percent" of the population has been evacuated.
Some
resident remain in relatively safe neighbors but others are trapped close to
the fighters from the Maute group and other militants from the area.
Islamic
State's Amaq news agency claimed responsibility for the Marawi unrest, although
that came more than a day after it started. The military says Maute has yet to
be endorsed by Islamic State, or ISIS, as one of its affiliates.
REBEL
CONTROL
The militants
have control of some government buildings, including a jail, which was seized
on Tuesday, leading to the escape of more than 100 prisoners, including some
Maute members.
"I saw
them near the highway. I saw ISIS there. I could tell because they wore black
headbands with the ISIS signs," said one man fleeing Marawi by foot, who
identified himself as Musa.
"They
were also riding around my area on motorcycles."
Jo-Ar
Herrera, a military spokesman, said 41 militants had been killed, with 10 more
deaths after heavy fighting on Friday. Two more soldiers died, bringing the
total of those killed in action to 13. Forty-five military personnel had been
wounded.
Asked
whether the military had located the whereabouts of Hapilon in Marawi, Herrera
answered "yes".
"They
can run but they can't hide," he said, adding that it was only a matter of
time before Hapilon is captured or killed."
Hapilon, a
leader of another Mindanao-based rebel group Abu Sayyaf, pledged allegiance to
Islamic State last year and has formed an alliance with Maute. The military
says he is still wounded from a January air strike and the fierce Maute
resistance is aimed at protecting him.
According to
Philippines Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Hapilon received $2 million
from Syria to fund his campaign in Mindanao.
Sidney
Jones, a regional security expert, said it was not clear that Hapilon was
calling the shots in Marawi. Abdullah Maute, one of two brothers that formed
Maute, may be setting the overall strategy.
"He's
smarter, and the fighters are on his territory. So no, Hapilon's death would
not cripple the movement," Jones said.
REUTERS
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