Manila: The military is running after a Filipino-Muslim leader who is now leading the Daesh-inspired terror group in the southern Philippines, to prevent a repeat of the bloody and destructive takeover of a southern city from May to October last year, sources said.
The military and police have intensified efforts to track down Owayda Marohomsar, also known as Abu Dar, who belongs to the Maranaw tribe. “He is now the Islamic State [Daesh] or Dawlah Islamiyah regional leader based in the southern Philippines. He succeeded Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon who died during clashes when Marawi City was retaken by government authorities,” said National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon.
“He was a former sub-leader of the Maute Group which led the attack of foreign and local terror groups in Marawi City last year,” said Esperon, adding that Dar came from. Syria. He did not give further details.
“A joint military-police operation has intensified monitoring on the activities of Filipino-Muslims in their respective communities in Metro Manila, to prevent the entry of suspected Daesh-inspired Filipino-Muslim terror groups in the National Capital Region,” said military spokesman Brig Gen. Bienvenido Datuin.
The Daesh international terrorist network has not stopped efforts to establish an Islamic caliphate in the southern Philippines despite efforts by the group to take Marawi City last year, argued Major General Fernando Trinidad, military’s deputy chief for intelligence.
Trinidad named Dhar on the list of suspected Daesh top leaders in the Philippines.
Trinidad also mentioned four other names — two Filipino-Muslims identified as Esmael Abdul Malik, also known as Turaifiel; Mohammad Reza Kiram; Indonesian Abu Walid; and an Egyptian national whose name was not disclosed.
They were named when defence and security officials presented to the Supreme Court the reason why President Rodrigo Duterte’s martial law should be extended in the southern Philippines — despite the government’s declaration that combat operations in Marawi City has been over since last year.
The Philippine government has forged pro-autonomy peace settlements with two Filipino-Muslim rebel groups several times in the past to stop the growth of separatist sentiment in the southern Philippines.
With the help of Organization Islamic Cooperation member countries, the Philippine government forged pro-autonomy peace settlements with the 50 year old Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Libya in 1976 and in the Philippines in 1996. The Philippine government has also forged a peace settlement with the 40-year old Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Milf/Moro rebels) in 2014.
The government is now pushing for the passage of a proposed law to implement provisions of the 2014 Philippine government-Milf/Moro rebels political settlement.
Political analysts said lawmakers are amending the Constitution to adopt federalism as a form of government to strengthen efforts to give more economic and political power to autonomous regions for Filipino-Muslims in the south.
