The military is still validating reports that a Malaysian terrorist who helped lead and finance the siege of Marawi City in Mindanao has been killed as the Maute terror group becomes increasingly constricted after a month of fighting, Malacañang said Saturday.
“The military is validating the intelligence report that Mahmud bin Ahmad, a Malaysian national who helped finance the rebellion in Marawi, died from wounds he sustained during the early days of the Marawi rebellion,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.
“We have been told that the military has information of the spot where he was buried and government troops are now trying to locate it and recover the remains. Once done, only then can we make an official confirmation,” he added.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Eduardo Año on Friday said that Mahmud was wounded in the fighting in Marawi last month and reportedly died on June 7 from his wounds.
Año, citing intelligence shared by foreign counterparts, said Mahmud was suspected of channeling more than P30 million ($600,000) from the Islamic State group to acquire firearms, food and other supplies for the attack.
A former Malaysian university professor who later turned into a jihadi and received training in Afghanistan, Mahmud appeared in a video showing terrorist leaders planning the Marawi siege in a hideout, a sign of his key role in the uprising.
At the same time, security officials are also validating an intelligence report that aside from the Malaysain national, at least 89 “suspected foreign terrorist fighters” remained holed up in different areas in Mindanao, including Marawi City, according to a Philippine National Police (PNP) intelligence report.
Abella said that the foreign jihadists might have entered through the country’s southern backdoor, where the point of entry is Mindanao via Indonesia or Malaysia.
“Authorities are still validating the report that 89 suspected foreign fighters are in Mindanao,” Abella said in a statement.
The Palace official likewise called on neighboring countries, Indonesia and Malaysia for a “collective effort against terrorism and violent extremism”
“We have agreed to work together to jointly develop and implement counter-terrorism measures and strategies to prevent future terrorist attacks in the region,” Abella said.
In an undated intelligence report obtained by Kyodo News, among the suspected foreign terrorists are 28 Indonesians, 26 Pakistanis, 21 Malaysians, four Arabs, three Bangladeshis, one “Indian-Singaporean”, and one Singaporean.
The other five are of yet-to-be-determined nationalities.
The same figures were likewise reported by the Philippine government Thursday during a meeting in Manila of the foreign ministers and defense and police officials of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
“Islamic militants from Indonesia, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian states are being lured to go to the Philippines to join the jihad and be part of the wilayat (governorate),” the report said.
The police intelligence report said around 250 to 300 militants belonging to the Islamic State-inspired Maute group remain in Marawi City, some of whom are believed to be dozens of foreign fighters.