iss risk special report - marawi complex militant attack 6 jun

**Butig was a Maute stronghold until late 2016

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ISS Risk Special Report:

Update on complex militant attack in Marawi City, Mindanao

Hidden hand of the Islamic State announcing its presence in SE Asia

6 June, 2017

http://www.issrisk.com/

Intelligent Security Solutions Limited Frontier & Emerging Markets Analysis

© ISS Risk 2017 Page | 1

Overview

As we enter the third week of the Marawi City crisis, a thorough examination of the situation

and its implications is called for. The initial information that petered out through military,

government, and media sources proved to be woefully off the mark. As we pointed out in our

initial assessment within the first 24 hours of the crisis, the facts indicated that this incident

was significantly more complex than we were being told. That was a gross understatement.

Now, with two weeks behind us and the crisis continuing onward, the time is ripe to examine

the facts and draw some sound conclusions as to what is happening in the Southern

Philippines.

The realities on the ground show that the organization and coordination behind this incident

developed over a considerable period of time. Contrary to the story put forward by the media,

which was based largely on reports from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), this

incident did not evolve out of a response to the attempted AFP arrest of the militant leader

Isnilon Hapilon. As explained in our initial assessment, the scale of the incident defied such

opportunistic causes; it was simply too organized to have evolved out of a reaction to

circumstances (link1) (link2).

This incident exhibits meticulous planning and preparation, indicating that it was conceived

long before the attack began. The logistics, supply chain, weapons, munitions, food, recces,

tactical deployment of the initial fighters, jail breaks, and reinforcements were all too

coordinated for this not to have been the case. The time spent on each element of the attack

must have required months of detailed planning, extensive intelligence-gathering, and

preparation. This was not an ad hoc incident by any stretch of the imagination.

Importantly, this incident is a clear indicator that the Islamic State has been embraced not

only by militants in the Philippines, but also by those further afield in SE Asia and beyond.

So far, there have been confirmations of participation by foreign fighters from Indonesia,

Malaysia, Singapore, India, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Chechnya, Pakistan, Turkey, Yemen,

and Morocco. It is plausible – perhaps even expected – that additional foreign fighters will be

identified from yet other countries as the crisis continues to unfold.

This report will examine the sequence of events leading to the incident in Marawi City. It will

then examine the Maute group, covering basic facts such as the organization‟s origins,

structure, and affiliations, before examining military successes that have been won against

the group as well as accumulative losses suffered by the group. It will then provide analysis

into the issue of foreign fighters infiltrating the Philippines over the past 12 months.

http://issrisk.com/research/situation-alert/24-may-2017-isis-affiliate-raise-groups-black-flag-marawi-city-lanao-del-sur/

http://issrisk.com/research/situation-alert/sitrep-complex-militant-attack-marawi-24-may-2017/



The buildup

One prevailing narrative of the events in Marawi City states that President Duterte‟s focus on

his anti-drug campaign somehow allowed a disconnected and dysfunctional rag-tag group of

disparate Islamic militants in Mindanao to group their capabilities under the banner of the

Islamic State and launch an assault to take and hold a provincial city, unnoticed by the

Philippine government and other regional neighbours. While there is clearly a degree of truth

in this perception, the idea that distraction caused by President Duterte‟s anti-drug campaign

is to blame does not fit the facts. The country‟s intelligence services missed what was

emerging under their noses long before Duterte came to power, and their failure to monitor

the inflow of foreign jihadists should be addressed. Quite simply, the government and the

intelligence agencies failed for years to recognize the changes occurring in the southern

region‟s militancy landscape.

The foundations for this change were laid some five or six years prior to the attack. The

government, hyper-focused on the specific threat posed by the Maute Group, failed to

realize that the Maute were not the only risk they faced. As such, initial blame for the Marawi

incident centered on the Maute, but this conclusion is proving to be misguided.

The decision of the previous administration and the new Duterte government to label groups

collectively, such as ASG, as bandits merely cloaked the reality of the transition that was in

play. Maute has been transforming during the past five to six years away from a criminal

terrorist organization into an inspired jihadist group. Whilst ASG drew significant attention,

Maute and several other smaller groups following the same transitional path as Maute had

been laying the foundations for their emergence as a force of change. The group is one of

many operating in Mindanao. The maps below cover the different groups and the areas in

which they have historically operated or held tactical areas of responsibility (TAORs). They

help to demonstrate the longevity and scale of the problem in Mindanao, as well as reinforce

the historical nature of the problem that has been gravely underestimated and has allowed

the current situation to evolve as it has.

Maute Group – Basic facts

“The Maute Group based in Lanao del Sur has the smartest, best-educated and most

sophisticated members of all of the pro-ISIS groups in the Philippines. It is largely ethnic

Maranao, and its stronghold is Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City, where

it has been able to attract students and teachers. The Maute connections, however,

reach deep into the MILF aristocracy on the one hand and are well-established

internationally on the other, with particularly strong links to Indonesia.” IPAC, Oct 2016,



Report #33.

The Maute brothers (Omar & Abdullah) were policemen in Manila, became drug dealers,

and then moved into extremism around 2012. Together, they launched Khilafah

Islamiyah Mindanao (KIM), then Maute Group, and subsequently IS in Lanao or IS in

Ranao. Omar is fluent in Indonesian & Arabic, having studied in Egypt. Abdullah also

speaks Arabic and has strong Middle Eastern connections, having studied in Jordan.

Omar Maute is married to an Indonesian, is fluent in Bahasa, and maintains a large

network throughout Southeast Asia. The Maute brothers‟ father held a senior position in

MILF, but the brothers themselves broke away following disagreements as to the

direction of MILF and its government engagement viewpoint.

Marawi City Attack: Further context

The current Marawi City crisis is not the first such incident involving terrorist organizations

fighting against the AFP. In fact, there is substantial historical precedent for such operations

in recent years. Some examples follow:

September 2013 Zamboanga City Crisis: In September 2013, a principal Moro

National Liberation Front (MNLF) faction under Nur Misuari invaded Zamboanga City,

resulting in 203 deaths (primarily MNLF and AFP). The crisis lasted 20 days, with the

AFP saying that over 500 MNLF fighters had invaded the city. Official figures claimed

that 183 militants were killed and 292 captured. It is fair to say the MNLF attacking force

would have been considerably higher than 500 to have absorbed such losses. In a

parallel attack on September 12-13, the ASG, BIFF and MNLF launched joint attacks on

two days on the city of Lamitan in Basilan).

February 2016 Butig Clash: In February 2016, the AFP launched an 11-day offensive

against Maute, which had several Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) fighters embedded. The AFP

reported deaths of 54 militants and six of the AFP forces. The clash turned into a full-

blown military operation (aerial bombardment, artillery, ground troops, and use of AFPs).

It had been clear from day one that the AFP took the attack very seriously. On February

20, Indonesian nationals were identified amongst the militant dead.

September 2016 Davao City Bomb Attack: On September 2, 2016, three Maute

members were arrested in Cotabato following an attack on a night market. They said that

Isnilon Hapilon had ordered the attack, and Maute were assigned to carry it out. A

member of the AKP (Ansarul Khilafa Philippines) was reportedly involved, and a military

source quoted by the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) said that the



Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were also involved.

November-December 2016 Butig Attack: Toward the end of 2016, Maute held this

town of 19,300 residents for six days, raising the black flag of ISIS outside its town hall.

AFP said that 61 Maute were killed and 12 wounded. Butig has high historical

importance in the Islamization of Mindanao, and is widely held as the cradle of the

Maranaon civilization, which is the ethnic group most local Maute recruits are drawn from.

The scale of the issue: Tactical Areas of Operation for militant

threat groups

Figure 1: Philippines current terrorism risk



As illustrated in Figure 1, the Philippines‟ highest concentration of terrorism risk is in

Mindanao. While the level of risk is not uniform within each administrative division demarked

in the figure, the empirical evidence clearly identifies concentrations of high risk and large

areas of heightened activity.

Figure 2: Philippines historical terrorism hotspots

In simple terms, non-state actors are behind the violence and risk in the province. Broadly

speaking these actors fall in to three movements:

1. Communist insurgency: A decentralised, nationwide insurgency, which in Mindanao is

prevalent in the eastern, northern and southern divisions and areas of concentrated industry

activity across the mainland. (We shall return to this threat later.) See Figure 3 below.

2. Islamist ‘Moro’ terror groups: These are groups, which are found in the Muslim Moro

areas of the province, the Sulu archipelago and Zamboanga Peninsula, and several areas in



western, central, and southern Mindanao (see Figure 3).

3. Islamic fundamentalist groups: These groups are dotted throughout Mindanao province,

ASG, Ansar Khalifa Philippines (AKP), Maute (Islamic State Lanao), BIFF and al Khobar.

There are two smaller groups – Jund ul –Tawhid (Philippines) and the Rajah Solaiman

Islamic Movement (RSIM), both groups that had pledged allegiance to ISIS by January 2016.

Figure 3: Historical Communist Insurgency Hotspots

Dispersal of the threats

As represented in Figure 1, the highest threat concentration is found in Cotabato (especially

the northern part) and the eastern part of Maguindanao. When this concentration is cross-



referenced to the representation of the group‟s primary tactical areas of responsibility (TAOR)

seen in Figures 4 and 5 below, the inherent complexity of the security landscape owing to

both sheer numbers and overlapping spheres is self-evident.

In this specific area of risk concentration, the multiple Islamist groups (MILF, al Khobar, BIFF

and pockets of MNLF and ASG factions) have historically operated without tactical

cooperation and, at times, shown blatant rivalry. Under this backdrop, the underlying

commonality of purpose has been routinely misread.

Compounding the levels of violence is that, in several areas of central Mindanao, overlap

between the Islamist groups runs parallel to several de-centralised CPP-NPA command

operations. Each of these looks to compete for recruits, as well to justify their existence to

the local populations. For the main part, these groups, at the operational level, display a

complex makeup of religious extremism, political confrontation, terror-criminal territorialism,

and ideological expansion.

Figure 4: Primary Tactical Areas of Operation (TAOR) by group, 2016-17

As ISS Risk has examined, historically, the evolving levels of cooperation between groups

which have similarly pledged allegiance to ISIS (such as ASG‟s Basilan faction with Maute

Group, KIM and BIFF) have been apparent at the operational level since late 2015.

http://issrisk.com/research/southeast-asia/



Yet in the main, these groups‟ actions and operations lend themselves to being categorised

as a complex made up of criminal territorialism, ideological expansion, religious extremism

and political confrontation. While they all espouse an Islamic orientation and aspiration, in

reality, they were historically disjointed and predisposed to indigenous requirements and

competition for funding channels. As recent events show, however, this does not to take

away from the shifting emphasis of the Islamic groups to a consolidated ideological and

ultimately cohesive approach to their aspirations.

Yet, as much as ethnic lines can be a root for collaboration especially if meaningful common

denominators to actions are present (examples: the intensification of AFP campaigns in

Mindanao since mid-2016, pledging to ISIS and recognising Hapilon as emir), rivalries can

also be continually reinforced. The rivalry between the two largest Muslim armed groups in

Mindanao, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front

(MILF), has severely impeded the overall peace process for the region. However, the

differences are more territorial- and legitimacy-based than ideological.

Figure 5: Highest concentrations of Muslim ethnic groups in Mindanao and the Sulu

Archipelago

[Ref: Birte Brecht-Drouart, 2011]



With the recent engagement of MNLF assistance in supressing Maute and foreign fighters in

Marawi, that ideological aspect may take on a new emphasis. MILF have been notably quiet

in their response to this marriage of convenience. Similarly, with the MNLF – MILF rivalries

impacting the ARMM (see Figure 6) and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region framework and

transition, internal rivalries within the CPP-NPA have done much in 2017 to affect repeated

stops-and-starts in the ceasefire and road to the peace process. The unpredictability of

Duterte‟s current strategy does little to assuage the concerns about implementation of the

ARMM. This adds to the prospect for increased violence.

Figure 6: ARMM and proposed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region

Critical observations

The Marawi incident should serve as a wake-up call not just to the government of the

Philippines, but to regional governments across Asia.

This incident is the result of months of planning with clear and unambiguous objectives. This

brings to light the following:

Maute is clearly stronger than has ever been acknowledged by the Philippines security

services and government.

There are many more foreign fighters in the country than was previously believed.



ISIS is now undeniably far more advanced in Southeast Asia than previously recognised.

Mindanao is the Fergana Valley of Southeast Asia.

The Philippines unquestionably acts as an operational and logistics hub for ISIS in

Southeast Asia.

Therefore, the following must be taken seriously:

Bangladesh acting as a bridgehead between South and South East Asia.

Malaysia acting as a financial and logistical support hub in SE Asia.

Indonesia acting as an ideological and operational hub in SE Asia.

Afghanistan still serves as a combat experience / operational hub.

The question of how advanced ISIS is toward its virtual caliphate‟s achievement in the

Philippines is now abundantly apparent.

It is worth noting that the Philippines’ geographical proximity and shared maritime

routes with Malaysia and Indonesia present it as the perfect springboard for Jihadists

regionally. Coupled with the fact that the Philippines have a far less effective

intelligence and security apparatus than other regional neighbours dedicated towards

their extremist problem, the ripple effect across Southeast Asia is painfully clear.

Possible developments

The fact that the AFP have been caught so off-guard by the scale and ferocity of the

militants is indicative of a lethargic attitude towards this entire problem, but this problem is

not restricted to the Philippines. Other countries face a similar threat and risk and willfully

have their heads in the sand regarding these threats. Denial serves the purposes of political

expediency or political correctness, but it does not help to deter the real enemy; rather, it

aides and abets them.

The time for casual observation, sitting on the fence, and retrospective analysis based on

solid empirical evidence that things are changing is over. The events in Marawi City are all

the empirical, retrospective information one needs to acknowledge that the time has come to

address these threats head-on. Political expediency and correctness exacerbate the

problem, and sitting on the fence waiting to say, in hindsight, that we maybe thought this was

going to happen no longer cuts it. Anyone with a modicum of analytical wherewithal should

have been looking at the events unfolding inside the first 24 hours in Marawi City and called

this significantly, more than an‟ isolated, responsive to circumstances‟ terrorism event.



Yet, the AFP and the government still bandy around differing numbers on those involved, the

groups involved, and foreign fighter number estimates. Frankly, unless the AFP are

conducting „audits‟ diligently counting the terrorists and differentiating their nationalities this

information is merely speculative. Neither they, nor anyone outside the instigators of this

incident, truly know from the situation on the ground how many fighters they face, how many

of those are foreign fighters, and what stockpiles they have.

What is the intention of these fighters? What is the plan for Mindanao? Who other than the

local commanders are directing this? Why now? Why here?

The Caliphate in Syria is shrinking and is in decline. This is not a surprise to anyone; the

efforts against the radicals have been intense. The physical sustainability of the Caliphate in

Syria-Iraq was always in question. Are ISIS lashing out in response to this as some would

suggest? This, what we are seeing from Marawi to Indonesia, to Bangladesh, India,

Afghanistan, Russia, Manchester and many other places and cities. This is not ‟lashing out‟;

it is part of a systematic spread of the insidious ideology espoused by ISIS. What we are

witnessing now is the Virtualization of the Caliphate, the expansion of their global strategy

to engage on multiple fronts to draw draconian responses. Those draconian responses are

precisely what they want. They serve as their greatest recruitment agents, fueling the supply

chain of supporters, fighters and radicals for a decade or more to come and thereby bringing

sustainability to their vile aspirations.

It would be lazy and disingenuous to fall into the trap of labeling the Marawi City incident

„contained and manageable.‟ This incident is a precursor to sustained radical Islamic

penetration and growth in Asia. It is a rallying call, an inspirational action that will spur on

support and growth of ISIS in Asia. The people behind the Black Flag Movement in the

Philippines are not just terrorist extremists, because this is not two or three groups acting in

unison. This is a movement, a collection of groups and intellectuals with a specific agenda

they have been pursuing for years, certainly since the start of this second decade.

The timing of this incident is also no coincidence. The Philippines government is struggling

to resolve two major insurgencies, a communist and Islamic separatist insurgency. Both are

faltering, one is about to escalate, the other may follow suit, then the AFP will be fighting on

multiple fronts, Communist rebels, Islamic separatists and Islamic fundamentalists taking

advantage of the rapidly deteriorating security environment and a very stretched security

apparatus. The Philippines‟ terrorism problem is about to get a lot worse.



Annex 1: MAUTE GROUP ‘Losses’: February 2016 – May 2017

2017

April 22-25: AFP 3-days raid on large Maute Camp in Piagapo (Lanao del Sur) 37 Killed

AFP claim 37 militants‟ dead (incl. 4 JI members, 3 Indonesians and 1 Malaysian, latter

potentially a JI affiliate in Malay the KMM, Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia); including Abu

Imam Bantayaw, the Maute Group commander at Piagapo, and his deputy. Camp

reportedly housed 100 Maute fighters at time of AFP operation‟s launching, with AFP

commenting that „recruits‟ not „veterans‟ seemed to be in greater numbers at the camp.

May 15 – 11: House raid captures Maute members 11 Arrested

A PNP-AFP raid captured 11 Maute at a „safe house‟ / staging post in Marogong, Lanao

del Sur. Several high-power weapons, and a 60mm mortar were recovered also.

May: 39 Maute members killed in second-wave operation in Lanao del Sur 39 Killed

AFP claimed 39 Maute members killed in a sustained air strike campaign on their

positions

March 17: 4 Maute members arrested in camp raid 4 Arrested

AFP stated they were suspects connected with a series of serious crimes including the

murder of a senior police officer, kidnapping for ransom, acting as guns for hire,

carnapping, extortion, and their involvement in the illegal drug trade in Lanao del Sur

and Lanao del Norte.

March 2: Maute fighters killed in anti-narcotics operation 4 Killed

Maute gunmen killed during drugs raid. Maute deal in shabu as a method of financing

themselves

February 24: 2 Maute fighters killed in PNP operation 2 Killed, 1 arrested

Two Maute group members were killed, one was captured in a law enforcement

operation in Iligan City following a failed kidnapping and car theft attempt.

January 2: Airstrike and artillery fire on Butig Maute camp - ASG Hapilon targeted

Several Killed

AFP stated both Maute and ASG sustained major casualty, with a number of them dead

or seriously wounded from air strikes and artillery fire on their location. Hapilon was



reportedly wounded, with 4 ASG members also killed.

2016

November 26 - December 2: Butig town capture by Maute, followed by a 6 day siege

61 Killed, 12 Wounded

The AFP claimed 61 militants‟ dead, 12 wounded after a six-day campaign to push

Maute out from Butig. AFP reportedly that a main-force of over 200 Maute Group had

been initially engaged, with this growing to 300 with many armed with RPGs.

o Duterte said the Maute Group‟s terror activities must end as its cause was

illegitimate. “There are only 50 of you and you will fight the armed forces. That‟s

foolish,” the president said.

November 10 : Davao City bombing suspect surrender 1 Surrender

A suspect in the September 2, Davao City bombing surrendered himself to PNP,

confessing to being a member of „Dawlah Islamiyah‟

October 7: 3 Maute members arrested in connection to Davao City bombing 3

Arrested

Three members of Maute group were arrested by PNP in connection to the September 2

Davao City bombing

August 22: 8 Maute group members arrested by PNP 8 Arrested / Escape

The PNP arrested 8 Maute group members, including a senior commander Hashim

Balawag Maute, in Lumbayanague, Lanao del Sur. However, on August 27 an

approximately 20-man strong group suspected as being from Maute group raided the

Lanao del Sur provincial jail in Marawi City‟s freeing them all and a further 15 inmates.

May: AFP’s PAF claims 30+ Maute killed in airstrike 30+ Killed

Continued bombardment of a Maute group camp position, by the PAF led to the deaths

of over 30 Maute group members.

February 20 – March 2: Eleven-day military campaign against Maute 54 Killed

AFP final claim for campaign was 54 militants killed. Reportedly BIFF elements came to

the aid of Maute, to slow down the AFP and to allow Maute to withdraw without suffering

continued losses.



Annex 2: Combat Indicators Philippines Foreign Fighters Timeline –

April 2016 onwards

May 26, 2017

DI (Maute-ASG): 6 Foreign Fighters identified amongst dead militants in Marawi City

Solicitor General Jose Calida in a press conference with Palace officials and the Armed

Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Davao City said "… Malaysian, Indonesians from

Singapore, and other foreign jihadists" were identified amongst the militants killed in Marawi

City since May 23.

May 16, 2017

ASG: Hearings in Australia for 6 men plotting to become foreign fighters in

Philippines

Six Australians faced a committal hearing that will determine whether they should stand trial

charged with making preparations for incursions into foreign countries to engage in hostile

activities. The six men were allegedly trying to sail from Cape York to join ASG.

May 10, 2017

ASG, Maute, BIFF: AFP confirm at least 8 Foreign Fighters in Philippines

AFP Spokesman Brig. General Restituto Padilla in a media release said that foreign

terrorists have allegedly been providing assistance to local terrorist and lawless groups such

as the Abu Sayyaf, Maute, and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF): "most of

the time, they have been staying with these groups who have provided them safe havens

because [they fled] away from their countries as fugitives." Padilla further detailed that

foreign terrorists train local groups on how to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs),

Padilla added.

He further went on to say that they were previously part of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an

Indonesia-based terror group with links to al Qaeda, but that they have been changing

affiliations following the rise to prominence of the ISIS, which had put the JI to "oblivion."

Padilla said it is unclear when these foreign terrorists entered the Philippines.

April 26, 2017

ASG: POLRI confirmed AFP found Indonesian passports during raids against ASG



The Indonesian National Police (POLRI) confirmed the AFP found several Indonesian

passports during raids in ASG‟s TAOR. The POLRI spokesman said, "We have explained

that the discovery of these passports does not surprise us. Among several terror suspects,

Indonesian [extremists] have received training in the southern Philippines." He added that

they were extremists affiliated with ASG, and have purchased weapons from ASG. The

statement also recognised that border controls were insufficient to prevent militants from

travelling between Indonesia and the Philippines, specifically mentioning northern Sulawesi.

April 22-25, 2017

Maute, JI: 3 Indonesians and 1 Malaysian were killed on raid on a Maute Camp in

Lanao del Sur, with a further Indonesian passport recovered by PNP

On April 22 the AFP launched a military operation against a major Maute camp holding

approximately 150 fighter, in the town of Piagapo in Lanao del Sur. The Philippines Chief

General Eduardo Año, stated that among the 37 Maute members killed were the remains of

three Indonesians and one Malaysian who were believed to be all members of Jemaah

Islamiyah.

January 7, 2017

AKP: Sudanese militant suspect in training in Philippines before deployment to Syria

killed by AFP

Abu Naila, a Sudanese suspected to have had links to the Ansar Al-Khilafa Philippines

(AKP), and his wife, Kadija, were killed in an AFP raid on 7 January in Maasim, Sarangani

province.

Police data indicated that Naila was training in the Philippines before his deployment to Syria

to join ISIS extremists.

ASG: Dir. General of PNP dela Rosa, stated the PNP are monitoring 5-10 foreign

fighters in Philippines

Chief Dela Rosa said that Filipino intelligence operatives are having a hard time looking for

the Malay-looking terrorists. He added that the PNP had received information that foreign

terrorists are training in the country for deployment later in Syria.

January, 2017

ASG-KIM: Foreign fighters with KIM training ASG members in Lanao del Sur

A comment from the police intelligence community said that a foreign terrorist from the



Khilafa Islamiyah Movement (KIM) was known to be training members of the ASG in guerrilla

warfare in an undisclosed location in in Lanao del Sur.

June, 2016

ASG: Pledge of Indonesian and Malaysian militant to ASG’s Isnilon Hapilon

An ISIS video was posted on Youtube in June 2016, showing a Malaysian Rafi Udin, and an

Indonesian Abu Walid, both pledging their allegiance to Isnilon Hapilon

Oct 10, 2016

ASG: Malay militant, a known ASG associate arrested in Basilan

The Philippine National Police„s (PNP) Anti-Transnational Crimes Unit arrested Malay Amin

Aklam, in Sumisip, Basilan. He was a close associate of ASG according to the PNP. He was

charged with kidnapping with frustrated murder in relation to crimes committed in Jolo, Sulu.

August, 2016

AKP: Two of three AKP suspects killed by PNP-SAF identified as Indonesians

During a raid to arrest AKP‟s then leader, ‟Commander Tokboy‟ three AKP suspects were

killed by the PNP_SAF unit. Two were identified as being Indonesian nationals.

April, 2016

ASG: Moroccan trainer, killed in clash with AFP on Tipo-Tipo

Moroccan national and suspected militant Mohammad Khattab, was killed in clash with AFP

on Tipo-Tipo. Khattab was apparently also a suicide bomb trainer, however during his time in

Basilan no volunteers stepped forward. It appears that Khattab‟s principal role however was

to obtain further experience before deployment in Syria. Speculation was therein made that

Khattab was in regular contact with ISIS in Syria, whilst working with ASG in Basilan and

Mindanao.

Notable Malay and Indonesian militants embedded in the structures

of ASG and AKP

ABU SAYYAF GROUP, ASG

Malaysian national Amin Baco alias Abu Jihad, has been embedded in ASG for some

time. He works directly with Hapilon Isnilon, ASG-Basilan leader. He has been working

between DI and ASG since the early 2000s and has been based since at least 2011 on



Basilan. Known for training, recruiting, access to regional contacts, weapons deals,

facilitating KMM members training in Mindanao he is also a key communicator between the

ASG factions (ASG-Basilan Isnilon Hapilon faction with the non-ISIS pledged ASG Sulu and

Taw-Tawi factions). He is reportedly married to a prominent „ASG family‟ in Sulu (Tanum

Group). Baco is Malay, and was part of the Darul Islam (DI) network based in Sabah.

Although not member of JI he would certainly have strong links with members of JI and

KMM. He was specifically referred to in January 2017 by the PNP Chief Dela Rosa as a

serious threat.

Malaysian Muamar Gadafi, appears in a photograph taken in Mindanao with Mahmud

Ahmad and Joraimee in front of an ISIS flag in 2015.

ANSARUL KHALIFAH IN PHILIPPINES, AKP

AKP well-known for links with many groups around Southeast Asia particularly with

Indonesians and Malaysians. AKP‟s former Commander Tokboy (killed late 2016) had two

critically important connections that brought him directly in touch with ISIS in Syria. One was

through the Indonesian, Saifullah Ibrahim alias Ibrahim Ali alias Sucipto (killed November

2015), and the second Mohamad Reza Kiram.

Sucipto was a conduit to MIT in Sulawesi (Santoso Group) and was a direct link to Katibah

Nusantara, ISIS‟s Malay-speaking Indonesian-led fighting unit in Syria.

Kiram was a lifetime member of JI and had progressed through their structure. He had

previously served as the head of JI‟s administrative structure in Mindanao. He also was a

„structural JI‟ asset (Ref IPAC, Report #33, 2016), who worked not just with JI‟s long-term

ally MILF, but was owing to his foreign nationality was „free‟ to work with multiple groups.

Malaysians and Indonesians when free of local clan bindings that are a default given in the

Philippine extremist group landscape, permit them to move around freely and collaborate

with all. Therein, one has seen MILF elements and ASG work in operations with pivotal DI or

JI members in Mindanao such as JI‟s Kiram central. Kiram himself left sometime in 2014-15

for Syria - hence AKP‟s direct link to Syria.

iss risk special report - marawi complex militant attack 6 jun

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