Palace urges Marawi terrorists to surrender, vows intensified crackdown vs. ISIS cells

Malacañang on Tuesday urged the remaining terrorists holed up in Marawi City to lay down their arms following the deaths of terrorist leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute.

During the Mindanao Hour in Malacañang, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella also invited them to “restore peace and rebuild our land.”

“With terrorist leaders gone, we call on all fighters to cease further resistance and violence and return to the road of peace. This is also the call of our Muslim leaders, our imams, ARMM, MNLF, MILF chiefs, and the leaders of Muslim nations and this is the plea of your families, friends, and communities,” he said.

Armed Forces spokesperson Major General Restituto Padilla Jr. said there were about 20-30 stragglers in Marawi, including six to eight foreigners.

Padilla said troops were also pursuing high-value target Malaysian national Mahmud Ahmad who reportedly bankrolled the Marawi siege.

“Mahmud remains... one of our high-value targets in the operations being conducted,” Padilla said, adding that troops were fighting in a zone comprising about 60 to 80 buildings in the ruined city. 

“We are focused on a ground offensive because the fighting is too close,” he said.

Terrorism expert Ahmad Kumar Ramakrishna from Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said if Mahmud Ahmad survived, he would likely take over the leadership of IS-linked fighters in the southern Philippines.

The militant is also reported to be a university lecturer in his home country who was in charge of raising finances from abroad for the jihadists and recruitment.

Sleeper cells

Meanwhile, Abella also assured the public that the government would keep an eye on possible further attacks and ISIS sleeper cells.

“We will intensify offensive across Mindanao to counter further attacks and to wipe out ISIS cells seeking to exploit people’s grievances for evil,” he said.

Padilla said the military was also closely watching other groups that pledged allegiance to the ISIS such as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters to launch a massive attack in Mindanao.

Padilla said they could still launch harassments such as bombings in certain areas.

“Hanggang doon nalang po muna. Hindi na po nila kaya ang malawakang pag-atake tulad ng nangyari sa Marawi,” he said. — with Agence France-Presse/RSJ, GMA News