IS Southeast Asia chief killed in Philippines

International Desk: The Philippine military killed the leaders of Islamic State-linked militants in a predawn raid to liberate parts of Marawi City on the southern island of Mindanao, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Monday.

The deaths of militant leaders are a key victory for the Philippine military, which has missed several self-imposed deadlines to liberate Marawi City.

"The Marawi incident is about to end, and we may announce the termination of hostilities in a couple of days," Lorenzana said, adding that the military is now focusing its operations on capturing or killing Dr. Mahmud Ahmad, a Malaysian terrorist, who officials say helped finance the Maute rebellion in Mindanao.

The slow progress on retaking Marawi has been widely criticized after it has consumed months to move forward.  A major step forward in a battle for the major Muslim city shows that stamping out the extremists from Mindanao is reaching its final stage.

Isnilon Hapilon, the self-proclaimed emir of the Islamic State in Southeast Asia and the head of the local terror group Abu Sayyaf, was killed along with Omar Maute, the head of the Maute group, which took control of Marawi City in May, taking more than 200 hostages at the time, according to the miliary.

Lorenzana said Philippine security forces attacked the two leaders' strongholds following a tip from a rescued hostage who had identified the whereabouts of Maute and Hapilon. The military also rescued 17 hostages in the early Monday operation, while 18 to 22 civilians are still being held by the Maute group. Other hostages have escaped, been rescued or been killed over the past several months.

President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law throughout Mindanao after the IS-linked Maute group took control of Marawi, a predominantly Islamic city, on May 23. Authorities said more than a thousand people have been killed since the conflict began, including more than 800 terrorists, nearly 170 military personnel and nearly 50 civilians.

Lorenzana said the military will assess the security situation in Mindanao and will recommend to Duterte whether the martial-law declaration can be lifted. Military rule in Mindanao is set to expire by the end of the year.

Agencies



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