Military disputes police reports on new Southeast Asia caliphate ‘emir’

Manila: Armed forces spokesman, Brigadier Restituto Padilla, aired doubts over police claims that Daesh-inspired terrorist in Southeast Asia has a new leader in the person of Ameen Baco, following the death of Isnilon Hapilon.

In a statement, Padilla said that based on information they have, Baco, a Malaysian could not have been named “emir” of extremists in Southeast Asia because he was among the 12 militant “stragglers” who were killed recently in Marawi City.

“Contrary to recent pronouncements by some officials that it is now headed by a certain Ameen Baco, the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) strongly believes that the group is now leaderless and without direction,” he said.

On Monday, Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa said during a press briefing presenting captured Indonesian terrorist Mohammad Ilham Syahputra, that Baco has already assumed the role of “emir” of the extremist caliphate in Southeast Asia with the death of Hapilon three weeks ago in Marawi City during a military offensive.

Dela Rosa also based his statement concerning Baco’s assumption as emir on what Syahputra said during interrogation. The Indonesian was captured by authorities area last November 1 as he was fleeing the Marawi battle area.

Hapilon, the Basilan-based leader of the Abu Sayyaf was killed together with Omarkhayam Maute in late October.

The two had led the clan-based Maute Group and Hapilon’s faction of the Abu Sayyaf in besieging Marawi City in May 23, 2017. The move was seen as an effort to rally militant groups such as the Ansar Al Khalifa and a faction of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters into the extremist cause. The militants had wanted to establish a strict Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia with Marawi City as the centre.

But Armed Forces chief, Gen. Leonardo Guerrero maintained that Baco is already dead. He added that remains of Baco are now the subject of an “aggressive search” to prove that the militant leader is already dead.

“The AFP, following its successful liberation of Marawi City from the Daesh-inspired Maute terror group, is aggressively pursuing its clearing operations,” he said.

“The AFP’s clearing operations are focused on the remaining areas of Marawi City believed to hold terrorist stragglers and some family members fighting for survival and hiding it out in the hope of escaping the main battle area,” he said.

Likewise, Guerrero also said that the remaining stragglers, believed to be just down to more than a dozen, will be able to influence the overall security situation of the once besieged city.

Colonel Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of Joint Task Force Ranao, said aside from Baco, among those believed to be among the latest killed in the fighting to rid Marawi City of stragglers is Ebrahim Maute aka Abu Jamil, a cousin of the Maute brothers.

“Ebrahim Maute is said to be the supply officer of Maute group,” Brawner said.

Five months of fighting in Marawi City had left more than 950 of the extremists dead and more than 100 government soldiers and policemen killed. Parts of the city had been turned to virtual wastelands from the devastation caused by aerial bombardments and ground fighting.