MANILA, Philippines - Two Saudis and a Chechen were among eight foreign jihadists killed in military strikes against the Islamic State-backed Maute terror group in Marawi City, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said yesterday.
Lorenzana told a press briefing in Malacañang that the foreign fighters were composed of two Saudis, two Malaysians, two Indonesians, a Yemeni and a Chechen.
Lorenzana said the identities of the foreigners are now being verified, along with their affiliations.
They were among at least 30 suspected local terrorists killed during the firefight with the Armed Forces since the military started to conduct surgical strikes in the city last May 23, the same night President Duterte declared martial law in the whole of Mindanao.
Lorenzana, the administrator of martial law, said the foreign militants could have used the so-called southern backdoor via Malaysia or Indonesia to slip into Mindanao and join local militants.
“We do not know because we don’t have any record of them coming through the proper channel, through the airports,” he said. “There’s only one way, through the backdoor, maybe coming from Indonesia or from Malaysia, from Sabah.”
Abul Khayr Alonto, head of the Mindanao Development Authority, has provided the defense secretary with the names of the foreigners who were among the bodies recovered along with that of their local associates in the Maute following recent military operations.
He said authorities have reason to believe that the foreigners were members of IS.
“I believe so. They are ISIS members, yeah. Because the report that we got from the civilians and from Marawi is that they saw a lot of foreign-looking fighters,” he said.
Lorenzana said the authorities are continuously conducting investigations on the groups used as fronts by the terrorists to be able to penetrate lairs in Mindanao, specifically in Marawi City.
In the case of detained police Supt. Maria Christina Nobleza, who was caught for trying to help Abu Sayyaf member Reener Lou Dongon in Bohol, the investigators traced funds from abroad being channeled to the police officer.
“Well, for one there is this agency that was run by a foreigner, a couple, I think a Moroccan and a Syrian. They were running a recruitment agency here but the proceeds there are also channeled to the Mautes and the ISIS saka ’yung Abu Sayyaf,” Lorenzana said.
“Now, we have evidence to prove that the lady, the Syrian woman, is actually in contact with Supt. Nobleza. Meron silang mga remittances ng pera between the certain lady to Nobleza,” he added.
“And that’s the reason why Nobleza tried and with one Abu Sayyaf went to Bohol to try to extricate the Abu Sayyaf that were being hunted by the military,” Lorenzana said.
Border watch
Security forces are closely watching the country’s borders after foreigners joined members of the Maute group in Marawi City.
“We are guarding what we call our border security so no foreigners can reinforce them,” Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said.
Dela Rosa’s statement was in reaction to reports that more foreigners are planning to reinforce Maute fighters in Marawi.
There are reports that some foreigners were monitored in Southern Mindanao, aiding local terrorists in making improvised explosive devices. – With Emmanuel Tupas, Jaime Laude, John Unson, AP