Wife of terrorist leader who planned Marawi siege arrested
The wife of a leader of the Maute group, which is linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( ISIS) and is one of the planners of the Marawi siege, was arrested by authorities in General Santos City Monday, a military spokesman said.
Major Ezra Balagtey of the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP) Eastern Mindanao Command, said arrested was Nafisa Pundug, wife of Abu Dar, a terrorist leader who escaped during the Marawi siege last year.
Before she was arrested, an alleged bomb expert of Maute Group was killed in a law enforcement operation also in General Santos City on Monday. Balagtey said killed was Najib Calimba Pundug alias Najib Hussein. They are not related.
"Acting on an information from the community, a follow-up operation was also executed by the Inter-Agency Group at about 7:00 o' clock in the morning of the same day, that led to the arrest of Nafisa Pundug, the wife of Abu Dar, a fugitive who escaped from the Marawi City jail in 2016,” Balagtey said.
Pundug, who has a warrant of arrest for illegal possession of blasting cap and incendiary device, was arrested at her safe house in Purok Maunlad, Brgy Apopong, General Santos City, said Balagtey.
Pundug's husband, Owayda Benito Marohombsar alias Abu Dar, is one of the terrorist leaders who planned the attack in Marawi City.
In a previous interview, Col. Romeo Brawner, Joint Task Force Ranao spokesman, said Abu Dar is the only Maute-ISIS group leader alive.
“We cannot yet say that he (Abu Dar) replaced ( Isnilon) Hapilon ( as head of the Maute-ISIS Group). But among the 10 leaders who planned (the Marawi siege), (remember) the video shows that they are planning, there are ten leaders there, and Abu Dar is the only one left alive. The nine others were all dead. So he is standing as the de facto leader, but there is no recognition that he is now the emir (of ISIS in Southeast Asia) or the one who replaces Isnilon Hapilon,” said Brawner.
In a report by Col. Adonis Bajao, commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF) GenSan, the Inter-Agency Group composed of personnel from JTF GenSan and Regional Mobile Force of the Philippine National Police Office 12 said Najib Pundung was being served a warrant of arrest by the Judicial Branch 11 in Malabang, Lanao del Sur for serious detention and kidnapping.
Najib Pundung "resisted and fought, prompting the arresting team to fight back that led to his death,” Balagtey said.
During the operation, government forces also recovered one Glock pistol, two hand grenades and one ISIS flag from Najib Pundug. Robina Asido/DMS
