Military Spokesman Says Militants in Marawi Clashes Not Linked to Islamic State

  • 7 years ago
Following several hours of clashes between unidentified militants and the Filipino military in the southern town of Marawi on May 23, military spokesman Edgard Areval held a press conference claiming that “the situation in Marawi has stabilized.”Areval also said that “the armed men we are dealing with are not ISIS but members of a local terrorist group.” He disputed much of the information that the town’s city hall and hospital were occupied by the aforementioned militants. “We fervently urge our people to refrain from posting in social media information that would tend exacerbate the situation, especially of photos and videos on the movements of our troops and on terrorist propaganda circulating through social media,” he said.Local media reports said the violence began after local and national police forces launched a raid to capture Isnilon Hapilon, head of the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State last year. Over the coming hours, dozens of armed gunmen stormed a local hospital and occupied several other buildings in the city. Additional Filipino media reports said the fighters mainly hailed from the Maute group, another Islamic militant group held partially responsible for the October 2016 Davao City bombing. The Maute group and Abu Sayyaf are known to have ties given their relative proximity in the restive southern area of the Philippines; however, Maute militants have yet to formally pledge allegiance to the Islamic State.

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