A terrorism research group which monitors hundreds of Islamic State (IS)-linked communication channels said it detected chatter about the group at least two weeks before the end of the Marawi siege.
“There is a lot going on in central Maguindanao where foreign fighters and locals are meeting up under one banner,” Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) told FMT.
“So, one thing that is really interesting about the Philippines is that Marawi is not the only game in town.”
The Philippine military had announced on Oct 23 that Marawi city was free of terrorists following the last standoff with the remaining pro-IS militants who were cornered in a building by troops.
The Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups, who had pledged allegiance to the IS, began the siege on Marawi city on May 23 when the Philippine authorities attempted to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, the emir-designate of IS in Southeast Asia.
Isnilon was the head of the Abu Sayyaf group while the Mautes were led by brothers Omar and Abdullah.
More than 1,000 people, mostly militants, were killed in the five-months of clashes between the rebels and government forces.
Malaysians, including the alleged financier of the Marawi siege, Mahmud Ahmad, were reported to have played a major role in the attacks.
After the final standoff with the remaining militants, 42 bodies were recovered from the last building cleared by the Philippine authorities.
Philippines defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana said some Malaysians were believed to be among those found dead but other reports said some remaining terrorists, including Malaysians, could have given the authorities the slip.
The latest news quoted Ranao Joint Task Force deputy commander Col Romeo Brawner Jr as saying a pro-IS gunman had been killed in the main battle area in the city yesterday.
Apart from the groups responsible for the Marawi attacks, the authorities are also setting their sights on another IS-inspired group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), led by Esmael Abdulmalik, a former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerilla fighter.
While an offensive on the scale of Marawi is not likely to take place in the near future, the BIFF has reportedly been involved in clashes with security forces and MILF, where scores of people from both sides have been killed.
The BIFF is said to be a breakaway group of the MILF, who has improved ties with the government.
An unknown number of BIFF fighters were also reported to have been involved in the protracted war in Marawi.
TRAC, which operates a digital intelligence repository on political violence, said the BIFF, like the Maute group, also had strong connections with Malaysians.
“The Mautes have loads of connections with both Indonesians and Malaysians,” said TRAC.
“But the other groups do too. So, the new IS darling in the Philippines is the BIFF faction run by Esmael, also known as Abu Turaifi.”
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