It was pitch dark at 3am on Monday, October 16, 2017. The Daesh-Maute group members, hiding among about 30 hostages, were trying to make their way to a wharf from a building under the watchful eyes of elite Philippine Scout Ranger troops.
The story started even earlier, on the night of October 15, as the troops were gearing up for the overnight operation.
They've already lost many comrades in the five months of house-to-house battles in Marawi, after some 800 terrorists laid seige to the city on May 23, and took up to 2,000 people hostage.
The final hours that led to the killing of the two terrorist leaders were recounted in a Facebook post, albeit in the vernacular, by someone known as "Scout Ranger Books."
Here is the post on Monday, recounting the battle from the words of a certain "Destroyer", commander of the 8th Scout Ranger Company that killed the notorious Daesh-Maute leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omarkhayam Maute.
As it turned out, even in complete darkness, the terrorists can be seen. But the troops were taking extra care as the terrorists were holding hostages, among them children.
In the pre-dawn battle, Hapilon, leader of the Abu Sayyaf, and Maute, a senior leader of the clan-led, Central Mindanao-based Maute Group, were killed — a fact later confirmed by the Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
The army credited their thermal imaging-enabled remote-controlled weapon system (RWC) in hitting the retreating terror leaders with razor-sharp accuracy.
Details of the fascinating battle emerged on social media just hours after the operation was declared a success.
According to the account of "Scout Rangers Books", it was Destroyer’s special request to put picture up of the charred building on the Facebook post dated October 16.
The post had since become viral, shared by more than 45,000 people, with a long trail of comments.
“It (building) is very memorable for 8SRC (8th Scout Ranger Company)," the post stated in Filipino, "because they took over this building in July at a very heavy price — their company was almost reduced by half because of the troops who were wounded or killed.”
“And of course,” the post added, “it was team effort that got Hapilon. Special recognition for the units under the 8SRC who cordoned off the block where Hapilon met his end,” post stated.
Hi-tech gear
The Philippines had upgraded the tracked M113 A2 armoured personnel carriers with the thermal imaging-equipped weapons as part of a modernisation programme completed in 2016.
According to defence news websites, 44 of the 114 standard M113 A2 APCs received from the US were converted into modern fighting platforms armed with the highly accurate 12.7-mm machine guns in Remote-Controlled Weapons Stations (RCWS).
Five of the tracked APCs were also reportedly converted into Armored Mortar Carriers armed with a 120mm mortar.
From thermal imaging to drones, the Philippine military has increasingly used state-of-the-art equipment to be brought to bear on the terrorists who laid a major Philippine city under seige.
Using the modified hand-me-down APCs from America, now retrofitted for modern-day anti-terror drive, Philippine troops have raised the battle with the Daesh-Maute group, able to see and shoot accurately in total darkness, said an army official.
But the use of hundreds of human shield by the Daesh-Maute group has stalled operations against them.
Hiding among hostages
The team that took down Hapilon and Maute said the two tried to conceal themselves among 30 hostages as they attempted to get out of a building towards a wharf, which they apparently tried to use as escape route.
At least two of the thermal-imaging-equipped APCs were positioned in two possible exit points of the terror group, the soldiers' post said.
And with the remote-controlled weapon, they were able to shoot Maute in the head and Hapilon in the chest, said 1st Lt. Ronilo Vender, platoon leader of Combat Team Charlie of Task Group Bakal (Iron).
Vender told Philippine media that Hapilon and Maute were about 30 meters away from the APC and 500 meters away from the wharf.
While Maute died instantly, Hapilon, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan province, managed to crawl and tried to seek a safe location.
Venders said Hapilon even tried to grab a child from a female hostage to protect himself. But the woman was able to run away with her child, the military said.
Vender said Hapilon also attempted to fire back at the troops. “He managed to shoot even though he was wounded,” Vender said in Filipino.
Brig. Gen. Fel Budiongan, deputy commander of the Mechanized Infantry Division, credited the thermal scanner weapon for the operation’s success.
“It is a very accurate weapon system,” Budiongan said. “Without these assets, the battle would have dragged on.”
Drones
The army has also been using drones for surveillance.
Early this month, the Philippine military released drone footage of the militants. One aerial clip shows the Daesh-Maute terrorists looting houses and other establishments in Marawi, confirming an earlier story about looting in the city.
In the undated video footage shown to media, armed men believed to be members of the Maute group can be seen pillaging what appears to be a residential building in city’s main conflict zone.
“We can see items, boxes, sacks being taken from a seemingly residential building,” said Col. Romeo Brawner, Jr., deputy commander of Task Force Ranao.
On Tuesday, October 17, President Rodrigo Duterte said Marawi City has been liberated from Daesh after five months of violence.
The military has said up to 800 Maute-Daesh members have been “neutralized”.
Some 30 militants remain holed up in houses in Marawi, holding at least 20 hostages.
More than 500 firearms were recovered by the terror group and more than 1,700 civilians were rescued.
Timeline
May 23, 2017 — Daesh-Maute group, with about 800 fighters, seized Marawi City in Southern Philippines. The move came after the Philippines army and local police launched a joint operation in Marawi to capture Isnilon Hapilon, Daesh leader in Southeast Asia and leader of the Abu Sayyaf group.
July 18 — 500 buildings occupied Daesh-Maute-Abu Sayyaf terror group were up for clearing by soldiers.
October 16 — 3am battle between elite special forces killed militant leaders Hapilon and Omar Maute, co-founder of the Maute group, which has pledged allegiance to Daesh.
