Marawi clash shows wide reach of Maute recruiting

On May 31, GMA News obtained an exclusive video of the actual assault by Maute Group in Marawi, a city that has turned into shambles after days of fighting between government troops and terrorists.

The video was rough and shaky. The terrorists were maneuvering, trying to position themselves closer to their target: an armored vehicle that resembled that of the Army's V-150 Commando vehicle.

The person filming the video huffed and puffed as he tried to find the best possible area to document the attack.

Then comes the moment of impact, a round of rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) hitting the armored vehicle. The Maute members chanted "Allahu Akbar, Allhu Akbar" as smoke billowed from the damaged armored vehicle.

We replayed the video to get a better understanding of what had transpired and how the terrorists outflanked and outmaneuvered the responding government forces.

Suddenly, we heard a familiar dialect; the Maute members were talking in Tagalog. The one holding the RPG launcher was giving instructions to the one taking the video, telling him to find a good angle as he aimed for the hit. "OK na ba dito?" the terrorist holding the camera asked.

Military intelligence sources say the video highlighted the fact that some Maute members are Muslim converts that have been recruited from Luzon and Visayas. A number of them have married Muslim women, according to a source.

This is something that must be taken seriously, security analyst Rommel Banlaoi tells GMA News.

The fighting in Marawi has exposed the far-reaching recruitment of Maute Group, according to Banlaoi. "Kailangan i-counter natin ang recruitment process nila," he said.

After being recruited, radicalized Muslim converts undergo training in guerilla fighting and bomb-making in the remote town of Butig, a known Maute stronghold in the province of Lanao del Sur, according to intelligence sources.

In the mountains of Butig, they train together with foreign terrorists. "Mutual training, sharing of expertise. Nagtuturo ang mga foreigners, tinuturuan din naman sila ng mga local terrorists sa guerilla warfare," Banlaoi said.

After all the training, they will be deployed and utilized for whatever purpose they may serve.

On May 23, a group of around 500 terrorists, which Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has called ISIS-Maute, swooped down on Marawi City. To date, government forces are still trying to put an end to the terror attack that has been dragging for almost two weeks, made more difficult by the presence of Maute snipers hiding behind well-fortified positions.

Some Marawi residents saw foreign-looking snipers together with Maute members. It is possible that Maute terrorists are aided by foreign snipers, Lorenzana said.

In my years of experience as a war correspondent, this is probably the first time that the military has encountered such a formidable group of enemy snipers.

Banlaoi shared the same observation. "We have not seen this kind of battle before," he said.

"Nanggaling sa Syria ang mga snipers nila... mga Yemeni, mga Saudi," he added, based on information he gathered.

If Banlaoi's information were true, the worse might not be over. The war in Syria has produced some of the most skilled ISIS fighters that have master the art of urban fighting much like the one being waged by Maute group in Marawi.

And as we heard from the soldiers, their enemies are packed with heavy arsenal.

Out in the conflict zone in Marawi, covering the military offensive, government troops would often tell us, "Sir, mag-ingat kayo, may Barret ang snipers ng mga kalaban."

"Barret" is a .50 caliber sniper rifle which can take down a target from a distance of 1,800 meters. —JST, GMA News