The blood and death of Maravi. Will Duterte be able to defeat the "Filipino ISIL"?
Recall that the Philippines has long attracted the attention of international radical organizations that are trying to “crush” the national liberation movement of the Moro-Muslim minority inhabiting the southern regions of the country. In May, 2017, Islamist troops seized Maravi, the administrative center of the province of South Lanao. Founded back in the 17th century, the city of Maravi was once the capital of an independent sultanate created by the followers of Islam living here. Therefore, it was not surprising that the militants chose this city as their goal. The seizure of Maravi by religious fundamentalists was supposed to symbolize the beginning of the “liberation” of the southern Philippine lands inhabited by moro from the authority of the central government.
In fact, the Muslim Moro minority has been trying to achieve political autonomy over the past few decades. Moro representatives believe that the central government discriminates against the Muslim minority and, moreover, violates the moro’s right to self-determination. Before the colonization of the Philippines by the Spaniards, there were independent Muslim sultanates on the islands, i.e. Moro had its own tradition of statehood, and modern Moro are eager to restore it. However, the central authorities did not intend to negotiate with representatives of the Moro for a very long time, believing that any problems could be solved by force, including to force the Moro to abandon the idea of national self-determination. As a result, the Moro had not only to intensify his protest actions, but also to take up weapon, especially since they did not have to take natural militancy, and a number of Middle Eastern states and international organizations were preparing to provide financial support.
In the second half of the twentieth century, the main Moro national liberation organizations were formed. The largest among them was the Moro National Liberation Front under the leadership of Nour Missouari - one of the most prominent moro politicians and intellectuals. In 1972-1976 the front led an armed struggle against the Philippine government, and then with the mediation of the then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a peace treaty was concluded. However, Nur Misuari and his followers were not radical fundamentalists and rather tolerant of other denominations who lived in the southern Philippines. Therefore, in 1981, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front under the leadership of Hashim Salamat broke away from them. He also advocated the creation of an independent state of Bangsamoro, but saw it as a purely Islamic political entity. For a long time, these relatively moderate organizations have fought against the government in comparison with modern radicals.
However, the pervasive radicalization of Islamic fundamentalists in the Near and Middle East, in North Africa, eventually affected Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, supporters of more radical views emerged who formed another military-political grouping - Abu Sayyaf. It was created in 1991, but gained worldwide fame closer to 2000. its terrorist attacks against foreign tourists and professionals who were in the Philippines. The goal of Abu Sayyaf was proclaimed not only the creation of a sovereign state for Filipino Muslims, but also a merciless war against "infidels" - both against the Christian majority and against foreigners. The last militants "Abu Sayyaf" hated especially zealously. They have established links with Al-Qaida (banned in the Russian Federation) and some other ultra-radical international organizations. It is known that the militants of "Abu Sayyaf" were trained in the territory of the countries of the Near and Middle East - in the camps of "Al Qaeda". Until recently, “Abu Sayyaf” was considered the most radical enemy of the Philippine government, and in order to fight this organization, the Philippine authorities were forced to turn for help to their long-standing senior partner - the United States of America.
Then, in the province of South Lanao, where the city of Maravi is located, another radical organization appeared - Mauth. It is called the Filipino branch of the Islamic State (IG is prohibited in the Russian Federation). Another name "Maute" - "Islamic State Lanao". But in fact, both Abu Sayyaf and Maute are not going to limit their activities to the borders of the Philippines. They strive to spread their ideas throughout Muslim Southeast Asia, where a huge state should be created, including Muslim-inhabited territories of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Thailand, and Myanmar.
As you know, the Philippines are not the only country in Southeast Asia, where in recent years, supporters of the IG have become more active. Many Asian politicians have repeatedly spoken about the great danger of the spread of IS in the region. Thus, Malaysia’s Minister of Defense Hishamuddin Hussein recently drew attention to the growing activity of the IG in Southeast Asia. There is nothing surprising in the very fact of disseminating the ideas of the IG and finding this organization of numerous supporters in the region. First, a very large Muslim population lives in Southeast Asia. Islam is the main religion of Indonesia, the third largest country in the world. Secondly, the overwhelming majority of the Muslim population of the region lives in poverty, experiences many social and economic problems and is a fruitful environment for the spread of radical ideologies. Thirdly, there are a lot of unresolved political problems in the region, including with the self-determination of ethnic groups practicing Islam in non-Muslim countries - these are Malays in southern Thailand, Rohingya in southwestern Myanmar and the same Moro groups in the southern Philippines. Facing opposition from the central authorities, representatives of Muslim minorities are radicalized, especially since emissaries of relevant international organizations are working purposefully among them.
For a long time, radical organizations were quite active in the south of the Philippines, but the advent to power of the extravagant and sharp President Rodrigo Duterte changed the current structure. Duterte is a man capable of the most decisive actions and the most unexpected alliances. He said that he would “eat the liver” of the radicals - and no one doubted that the initiator of the total destruction of the Philippine drug mafia is capable of such an act. Deciding to end the resistance of the radicals, Duterte threw the most prepared national police forces against them. Then the guards came to the aid of army units.
When the Philippine authorities received information that Isnilon Hapilon himself, the leader of Abu Sayyaf and one of the most wanted radicals in the country, is in Maravi, the order was immediately given to seize or eliminate the famous extremist. However, the forces of the two most radical groups, Abu Sayyaf and Maute, joined forces against government forces. A real massacre began in Maravi. Practically all the elite and combat-ready units and formations of the Philippine army, including the rapid reaction regiment, the Philippine rangers regiment and the marine brigade, were pulled to the city. At the same time, high-ranking Filipino military men have noted the incredible complexity of fighting terrorists in urban environments. And indeed it is. Unlike traditional linear warfare, fighting in the city is very difficult. Even one "shooter" barricaded in a residential building or an office building distracts a whole special forces unit, plus the police and soldiers who form the cordon. Therefore, although only a few hundred militants have settled down in Maravi, government forces have been trying to knock them out for the third month.
During this time, thousands of civilians fled from the city, and their houses were destroyed. For the local poor population, fighting is a huge blow to well-being. In addition, the Philippine media reported on the massacre of militants against civilians. The behavior of the radicals makes us recall the tragedy of Syria and Iraq. For example, representatives of the Philippine authorities have recently reported on the found decapitated bodies of civilians - poor citizens, apparently, were executed by members of one of the radical groups.
Of course, the Philippine army can throw armored vehicles, artillery and Aviationhowever, this will lead to imminent and very numerous civilian casualties. Rodrigo Duterte, for all his coolness, does not want to go for it. But he managed to achieve the impossible - against “Abu Sayyaf” and “Maute”, yesterday’s fierce enemies of the central government, “separatists” from the Moro National Liberation Front and even the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, consolidated with the government forces, who considered the government to be a “lesser evil” compared to the radicals from Abu Sayyaf and Maute.
In addition, Rodrigo Duterte drew to his side and quite numerous New People’s Army of the Philippines. This military-political organization, armed with the wing of the Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines, has also waged an ongoing civil war against the central government for several decades. Now the leaders of the Maoists decided that it was better to unite with government forces to defeat the "common enemy".
By the way, when the confrontation between Abu Sayyaf, Mauth on the one hand, and the Philippine government on the other, entered the most active phase, foreign “volunteers” drew to the Philippines — first from the neighboring countries of Indonesia and Malaysia, and then Middle East. There was even information about the presence in Maravi of people from the Russian North Caucasus, who had previously fought in Syria against the troops of Bashar al-Assad, and now went to help Filipino like-minded people. The Philippine police reported that the passports of a number of countries in the Middle East and North Africa were found among the killed militants. Citizens of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan, Morocco, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Turkey arrived in Marawi.
However, the majority of militants still make up the local radical youth - people from the Moro. As a rule, supporters of Maute and Abu Sayyaf are younger than active members of the NPFM and the IPFM, the traditional South Philippine “separatist” organizations. It is these young 15-18 guys who have been preached by emissaries of radical organizations for years, and the fact that these sermons are successful is due to the socio-economic situation in the Philippines. High youth unemployment, crime, drug addiction - all these factors contribute to the care of many young people in radical organizations. Both militants and government troops suffer heavy losses.
In turn, Rodrigo Duterte also relies on the help of foreign partners. First, despite his repeated anti-American statements, the President of the Philippines did not refuse US assistance. It is known that information about the militants in Marawi is transmitted to the Philippine special services by the Americans - it is them Drones monitor the situation in the city from the air. Marawi has American special forces officers who do not enter combat, but provide advice to their Filipino counterparts.
Secondly, readiness to come to the aid of the Filipino leader was expressed by China, which has long been supplying weapons to the Philippines. Thirdly, Duterte enlisted the support of another strong state in the region - Australia. Finally, recently the Philippines has been showing an increasing interest in military-trade cooperation with the Russian Federation. By the way, the start of hostilities in Maravi, as we know, coincided with the visit of Rodrigo Duterte to Moscow - and it was because of the outbreak of armed conflict that the President of the Philippines was forced to reduce the duration of his visit to our country.
For Duterte, the fight against the radicals has become a matter of honor. Apparently, he wants to enter history Philippines as the president who liberated the country from dangerous radical organizations. Given the stubbornness and determination of President Duterte, it is possible that he will actually succeed.
Note: ISIL (IG) is prohibited in the Russian Federation.
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- http://www.philstar.com, http://www.abc.net.au,King Rodriguez / PPD / EPA / LETA,
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