Troops recover armored van used by Maute militants

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Government troops have recovered a security agency's armored van that Islamic State-inspired terrorists seized in the early days of the Marawi crisis.

 

Capt. Jo-Ann Petinglay, spokesperson of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said the recovery of the armored van shows "that the terrorists are already contained in a narrower engagement area."

 

She said the van was recovered last week from one of the structures that soldiers have been clearing in the main battle area. The building the van was in was one of the Maute local terrorist group's strongholds, she said.

 

The Maute group seized the blue armored vehicle from the Dasia Security Agency when the terrorists attacked Marawi on May 23. Petinglay said the van was used by group leader Abdullah Maute.

 

 

“During the first month of fighting, a picture was posted on the internet showing Abdullah Maute riding the vehicle in one of the streets of Marawi with an ISIS flag in front of the vehicle,” Petinglay said.

 

She said the building the van was found in was a storage area and temporary base that the Maute group also used to house their wounded. Troops also found a tunnel in the building that had been used to store food, ammunition and weapons.

 

She said the capture of the terrorist’s strongholds show troops are advancing towards the last positions still held by the militants.

 

Petinglay said the troops are pursuing about 50 to 70 militants who have been contained in an area of about a square kilometer.