Security forces arrest Maute matriarch in Lanao del Sur

Police have arrested the Maute brothers' mother in Masiu, Lanao del Sur on Friday night.

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao regional police director Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac told radio dzBB that Ominta Romato Maute, who also goes by the alias Farhana, was arrested along with two wounded Maute group gunmen, in Barangay Kormatan at around 7:15 p.m.

Sindac said also arrested were seven still unidentified women.

He said policemen seized during the operation several high-powered firearms and an improvised explosive device.

Sindac said that Maute matriarch and the other suspects were already leaving their hiding place on board a gray Toyota Revo.

He said intelligence operatives received an information about the presence of the Maute group members in the area two days before the operation was conducted.

Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, told radio dzBB in a separate interview that the Maute matriarch will be initially transferred to Cagayan de Oro City.

The Maute brothers' father , Cayamora Macaraya Maute, had also been arrested at a checkpoint in Davao City on Tuesday.

The Maute patriarch had been transferred to a jail in Metro Manila.

Padilla said the Maute matriarch and the other suspects are already being subjected to police questioning. She may also be transferred to Metro Manila from Cagayan de Oro City, the military spokesman added.

According to Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, 1st Infantry Battalion spokesperson, the arrest of the Maute matriarch is considered as a "milestone" for the military.

"Well this is another milestone of our operations because, the parents, especially Farhana provides logistical, financial and she has the links to international organizations," Herrera said in a press briefing.

"So basically, it will have an impact to the organization," Herrera added.

The arrests came as government forces continue the assault on the Maute group in Marawi City, which the ISIS-inspired group attacked last May 23.

Videos recovered by the military during operations revealed how the ISIS-inspired group, led by brothers Abdullah and Omar Maute, planned the attack with known Muslim extremist leaders, including Abu Sayyaf group Isnilon Hapilon. 

More than 200 people, including militants and civilians, had been killed in the ongoing conflict, which led President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in Mindanao. — with Anna Felicia Bajo/DVM/ALG/MDM, GMA News