AFP: Some Maute remnants could have slipped Marawi, but no capability to sow terror
The Philippine military said on Friday that there could be Islamic State-linked Maute Terror Group members who could have escaped from war-zone Marawi City.
But Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., military spokesman, assured that Maute remnants, wherever they are now, could no longer have the capability to sow terror.
"We're not denying that there could be some who were able to slip, with the continuous fleeing of evacuees from Marawi, to nearby Iligan and Cagayan de Oro," he said in "Mindanao Hour" briefing in Malacanang.
But he stressed, "safe to say, I can tell you, they don’t have the capacity to do what they did in Marawi anymore. Their capabilities have been significantly degraded, and they have specifically targeted Marawi to sow terror, wreak havoc, possibly kidnap people, destroy homes, schools, what have you. And that’s what exactly they did. That’s exactly what they did.
"So any kind of action of that extent will not happen in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro," he said.
Padilla added the military is taking up proactive measures to ensure that even an attempt to sow some confusion or sow terror in these areas by small actions would be prevented.
"That is why there is an arrest one after the other that is being made," he said.
He also reiterated the government's call to the public to be alert and responsible for watching over their surroundings and cooperate with the authorities.
"That’s why we have coordinated with local government and other security partners to heighten their security posture. And the call for the public to be part of that security posture is very important," he said.
Government forces have been pursuing the Maute militants since May 23 when they attacked and started occupying Marawi. Celerina Monte/DMS
