[PHILSTAR] The Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling
Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
-inspired Maute forces of Evil have been isolated into pockets as government forces took control of a majority of areas previously occupied by the bully boyz in Marawi City.
Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Capt. Jo-Ann Petinglay said ground forces have determined the number of the Maute forces of Evil and their locations.
Petinglay said that, according to ground assessment, fewer than 50 Maute forces of Evil infiltrated Marawi but managed to project strength through social media.
"This time, we have clearer picture of what happened compared to the first day [na] hindi natin totally grasp or plot the locations of the other holy warriors... Where they did atrocities in a group of three or five and you thought they are too many. They burned and hid and fired and hid," Petinglay said.
"They tried to paint the scenario that they have seized major areas in Marawi utilizing videos and photos spread on the social media," she added.
Many of the initial reports from Marawi City on Tuesday were from residents posting photos and videos on social media. However,
a hangover is the wrath of grapes...
by Tuesday night, media was able to reach Mayor Majul Gadamra as well as provincial and Autonomous Region in Moslem Mindanao officials for updates.
'Propaganda'
Petinglay claimed the Maute group initially succeeded in its propaganda propaganda campaign, with many social media users unwittingly reposted the visual materials showing the forces of Evil on the streets brandishing their guns and black flags.
"Because of that those who repost the unverified source of videos and photos unknowingly helped fan out the propaganda of the Maute terrorists," Petinglay said.
But the military said they now have a clearer picture what is happening and where on the third day of operations.
Petinglay said troops are now concentrating on particular areas where the forces of Evil are holed up. She said residents who decided to stay behind have been reporting on the positions of the terrorists.
Aside from regular troops, elite operators from the Special Operations Command have been deployed to deal with the Maute forces of Evil in close-quarter combat.
She added operations are now easier since residents have evacuated areas where the forces of Evil are.
"During the first day, one of the challenges to us was the troops could not just penetrate the place where you believe they are there because there were civilians and the possible collateral damage," Petinglay said.
'Maute isolated'
The military also assured the public that the Maute forces of Evil are isolated and will not be able to slip out with residents who have been streaming out of the city.
She said all routes going out from Marawi have been secured and evacuees are being carefully checked for forces of Evil pretending to be civilians.
Casualties on the government side are five soldiers killed and 32 others maimed. Security forces have said they have killed 13 Maute forces of Evil and an undetermined number of maimed.
Petinglay said ground forces believe the Maute group has not managed to smuggle Abu Sayyaf
...also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya, an Islamist terror group based in Jolo, Basilan and Zamboanga. Since its inception in the early 1990s, the group has carried out bombings, kidnappings, murders, head choppings, and extortion in their uniquely Islamic attempt to set up an independent Moslem province in the Philippines. Abu Sayyaf forces probably number less than 300 cadres. The group is closely allied with remnants of Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiya and has loose ties with MILF and MNLF who sometimes provide cannon fodder...
leader Isnilon Hapilon out of the city.
Hapilon, said to be the recognized Islamic State of Iraq and Syria's leader in Philippines, was the main target of police and military operations on Tuesday that has triggered the fighting in the capital of Lanao del Sur.
President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law in Mindanao in response to the festivities.