Palace: No need for expanded US role in Marawi

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday allayed concerns that Marawi City may become a hub of the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, saying government troops were able to thwart a plan by the terrorists to establish a province in southern Philippines.

 

ISIS-inspired terrorists from the Maute group laid siege to Marawi City last May 23, torching several buildings including a Catholic cathedral and holding more than a dozen people hostage.

 

While Philippine officials claimed that the Maute group is weakening, some US lawmakers are worried that Marawi City is becoming a hub for Southeast Asian extremists and want American troops to play a bigger role in the operations.

 

At present, the US forces’ participation in the Marawi offensives is limited to providing technical assistance like intelligence information.

 

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said there is no need to expand the US’s role in Marawi because the military has prevented ISIS, which is also called Islamic State or IS, from taking over the city.

 

“Well, at this stage, I suppose we’ll have to take the position that it’s unlikely for Marawi to become a new hub for IS fighters. The Philippine military has already preempted the Maute group from establishing a wilayat or province in Marawi,” Abella said in a press briefing yesterday in Malacañang.

 

“So the role of the US in relation to the IS is to provide technical assistance as prescribed by the Constitution and we will abide by that,” he added.

 

The Constitution bars foreign troops from joining direct combat operations.

When asked if Malacañang is open to increasing the amount of assistance provided by the US to hasten the resolution of the conflict, Abella said: “Let’s go by what is already present, technical assistance.”

 

When reminded about President Duterte’s earlier pronouncement that he did not want to see any foreign troops on Philippine soil, Abella replied: “He has accepted the situation at this stage.”

 

Earlier this month, Duterte claimed that he was not aware that the US was assisting security forces flushing out the Maute militants in Marawi. While thankful for the assistance, Duterte insisted that the Philippine troops can perform their mission without any help from foreign governments.

 

The US has had a difficult relationship with the Philippines since Duterte assumed office last year. Former US President Barack Obama had criticized the spate of killings tied to Duterte’s war on illegal drugs, a move that the Philippine leader regarded as an intrusion into the country’s internal issues.