Philippines says ‘big possibility’ Malaysian militant leader killed
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Militant
Marawi City, Oct. 19, 2017 (Reuters/NAN) The Philippine military on Thursday said there was a “big possibility” that a top Malaysian militant tipped to become Islamic State’s (IS) point man in Southeast Asia has been killed in a battle overnight.
“Twenty rebels among the remaining IS loyalists holed up in the devastated heart of Marawi City were killed in the latest fight, likely to include Malaysian Mahmud Ahmad.
“There is a big possibility that Dr Mahmud is among them.
“However, we will only be definite once we have a match of probably DNA samples, maybe of the dental records,” Col. Romeo Brawner, Deputy Commander of military task force said.
If confirmed, Mahmud’s death would be a blow to any effort by Islamic State, which is on the back foot in Syria and Iraq, to establish a presence in Mindanao, an island with a history of rebellion and home to the predominantly Roman Catholic nation’s Muslim minority.
The Marawi siege has been the Philippines’ biggest security crisis in years.
Experts however see it as a prelude to a more ambitious bid by militants to exploit Mindanao’s poverty and use its jungles and mountains as a base to train, recruit and launch attacks in the region.
The armed forces in a statement said that 13 militants were killed overnight and seven on Monday.
Two hostages were rescued and information they provided meant the authorities were “increasingly becoming confident” that Mahmud was dead. (Reuters/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Maharazu Ahmed