Philippine troops yesterday killed 10 suspected Islamist militants trying to enter besieged Marawi City, where three months of fighting has left more than 800 people dead, officials said.
The gunmen were aboard two pump boats when they were intercepted before dawn in Lake Lanao near the main battle area in Marawi City, 800km south of Manila.
Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez Jr, a regional military commander, said troops received intelligence information that reinforcements would try to sneak in to Marawi City to boost the resistance against government troops.
“Let this be a warning to those who have the intention to escape or to enter, our troops are ready for you,” he said. “We will definitely get you.”
Troops are preparing for “one big battle” against the remaining militants in Marawi City, after gaining control of a key landmark in the municipality, the largest mosque, said armed forces chief of staff General Eduardo Ano.
“They (militants) are now left with a small area so probably we’re preparing for one big battle,” he said.
“The enemy is consolidating,” he added. “They’re spread out before, now that they are consolidating, we expect that there will be fresh fighting when we come to the last phase of the operation.”
The conflict in Marawi City began on May 23 after hundreds of militants attacked the municipality after government forces attempted to arrest a local leader of the Islamic State terrorist movement.
The militants were led by brothers Omar and Abdullah Maute, who head a local terrorist group that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
On Sunday, their father, Cayamora, died while being rushed to hospital after his blood pressure went up, said Senior Inspector Xavier Solda, spokesman for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
The 64-year-old Maute patriarch had been detained in Manila since he was arrested for rebellion on June 6. His second wife, a daughter and son-in-law were also arrested.
“He was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician,” Solda added.
Cayamora’s death may push his sons to “take more drastic action in the fight that is currently ongoing” in Marawi City, said Brigadier General Restituto Padilla, spokesman for the military.
“This may entice them to be more brazen, much more bolder because all the facts may not be clear to them,” he said. “At the same time, they may use this as a rallying point for many of their fighters or even for their family who are still inside.”
The brothers have not been arrested, but the military has received unverified reports that one of them was killed in the military offensive to free the municipality of more than 200,000 people.
The conflict has left more than 800 people dead, including 130 soldiers and 603 militants.
The terrorists have also executed 45 civilians, while 40 people died from illnesses in evacuation centres.
Nearly half a million people have been displaced in the fighting that has triggered concerns that the Islamic State has taken a foothold in South-East Asia through the southern Philippines.
The terrorists have also executed 45 civilians, while 40 people died from illnesses in evacuation centres.