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South East Asia Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter paintgun
- Start date
Jura The idiot
General
Sep 9, 2017
Tough resistance from Maute affiliate raises Islamic State’s profile in Philippines
now (dated September 13, 2017)Sep 1, 2017
now I read
(dated 6 September 2017)
Philippine army and armed groups join forces in Marawi
Military said that it will not absorb MILF fighters but enlist their help in overcoming ISIL-linked group in Marawi.
Tough resistance from Maute affiliate raises Islamic State’s profile in Philippines
... goes on right below due to size limitA Southeast Asian faction of the Islamic State is putting up an unexpectedly tough fight in the face of unrelenting military pressure from U.S.-backed counterterrorism forces in , three months after the extremists stunned the region by seizing control of a major city in the southern part of the country.
officials said this week that the five dozen or so militants still holding out in Marawi have begun putting out “feelers” on ending their resistance, but the terrorist group’s ability to hold out so long is reigniting concerns that the Islamic State will look to the Pacific to re-establish its self-proclaimed caliphate as it is pushed out of its strongholds in the Middle East.
Islamic State claimed over the weekend that its Philippine affiliate, known as the Maute group, killed 50 troops as government forces launched a massive offensive to drive militants out of Marawi. It was some of the heaviest fighting since the group took control of the city, 64 miles south of the provincial capital of Cagayan de Oro.
The enemy force is decreasing day by day and ending the crisis is only a matter of time, Brig. Gen. Rolando Bautista, commander of the troops in Marawi, told reporters this week.
Although the fighting may be winding down, the ferocity and duration of resistance put up by Islamic State forces trying to hold this city of 200,000 people have led analysts to consider that the terrorist group may be stronger than previously thought in the region.
“Notwithstanding the ’s widely anticipated Pyrrhic victory over the ISIS-inspired militants, darker clouds [can] be seen on the horizon,” Mark Davis Madarang Pablo, an analyst at -based Albert del Rosario Institute, wrote Wednesday in The Diplomat. The analyst noted that the government lists 20 active terrorist cells allied to the Islamist force leading the Marawi resistance.
Government troops pushed Maute fighters off positions near the strategically critical bridge in the Banggolo neighborhood, where Islamic State militants had been able to choke off ’s advance into the city. The bridge is one of three linking Marawi’s city center to surrounding neighborhoods.
Capt. Jo-ann Petinglay, Joint Task Force Marawi spokeswoman, told reporters Friday that the battle zone had been narrowed to a roughly 50-acre patch in the city, although the fighting is in a densely urban district packed with high-rise buildings. Filipino military leaders now say they hope to wrap up the campaign in October, and tough-talking Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ruled out any deal to allow the last fighters to flee in exchange for the release of dozens of hostages, the Reuters news agency reported Monday.
On Monday, the president made his fourth trip to Marawi since the fighting began. He visited critical sites that had been painstakingly reclaimed from the terrorist forces.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said this month that military operations remained “intense and focused, with the safety of hostages in mind, in the hope of bringing a quicker end to the rebellion and retake Marawi from the evil hands of the Maute terrorist rebels.”
Despite claims from that the Maute group was on its last legs in Marawi, Mr. Duterte reinstated martial law across the southern province over the weekend after Maute affiliate Jamaatu al-Muhajireen wal Ansar retook an extremist training camp in the southern Philippine town of Datu Salibo 62 miles away.
The camp had been protected by a joint force of government troops and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The group’s cooperation with is part of a landmark 2014 peace deal.
The outspoken Mr. Duterte defended his extension of martial law across the south by arguing that it was an effort to keep the Islamic State threat from spilling into the rest of the country.
“As martial law remains in effect in Mindanao I was thinking that we could, you know, lift it earlier. But the way it looks, [it] may spill over” into Datu Salibo and other Muslim-dominated regions across the southern .
Some 147 government troops and at least 45 civilians have been killed since fighting broke out in Marawi, according to the . Government forces have killed over 660 Maute fighters since ’s offensive to retake the city began in earnest in late May.
...
Jura The idiot
General
continuation of the above post:
Islamic State support
Marawi and the surrounding areas in Mindanao province have long been a hotbed for Southeast Asian extremist groups. Moro groups and Abu Sayyaf, which has long-standing ties to the al Qaeda-backed Indonesian terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah, have used the area’s island chains as a base of operations.
Most of the country’s Muslims live there, although they constitute just a fifth of the province’s population. Marawi, now described as a bullet-scarred ghost town, is almost entirely Muslim. The Red Cross estimates that the fighting has driven 300,000 people from their homes.
A massive government crackdown against the extremist groups, backed by U.S. forces attached to Operation Enduring Freedom- in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks 16 years ago, drove the Moro terrorist groups to the negotiation table with .
Maute group leader Isnilon Hapilon declared allegiance to the Islamic State in 2014 and was subsequently named the group’s “emir” in Southeast Asia. The assault on Marawi was reportedly triggered by a failed raid by the and police on Hapilon’s base near the city.
The veracity and tenacity of the Maute group’s hold on Marawi are bolstered by an influx of advanced weaponry and combat-hardened Islamic State advisers — mostly from the Middle East and Chechnya — directed into the country by the group’s operational leadership in Syria.
“Through Hapilon, ISIS has provided an influx of supplies, ammunition, high-tech communications equipment and foreign fighters,” said Rory MacNeil, a research associate with the Australian National University’s Philippine Project. “By contrast, the [] is poorly equipped and inexperienced in conducting urban counterinsurgency operations” since the majority of its counterterrorism operations experience is rooted in jungle warfare against small bands of insurgent forces, he said in an analysis of the Marawi operation.
Aside from operational support, the Maute group and other Islamic State affiliates in the region have adopted some of the terrorist group’s successful propaganda tactics, including the use of social media, to expand their reach in the region.
The Maute group “represents the next generation of Islamic extremism in Southeast Asia, with a leadership educated in Egypt and Jordan and ties to jihadist allies in both the Middle East and other parts of Southeast Asia,” said Geoffrey Hartman, a fellow in the Southeast Asia Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
But critics say the fact that the Marawi crisis was sparked by a failed attempt to capture Hapilon in a suspected safe house near Marawi is proof that the is not up to the task.
“The whole siege began with a botched raid, and there is compelling evidence that the Maute group set a very effective ambush for them. Second, the [Philippine army] cannot claim to have been taken by surprise. The Maute group has besieged towns and cities twice in 2016. This is part of their playbook,” National War College professor Zachary Abuza, an analyst of Southeast Asian insurgencies, wrote in an op-ed for The Diplomat.
Mr. Duterte’s decision to funnel military funds and manpower into his crackdown on drug trafficking also has put the country’s counterterrorism operations at a disadvantage, Mr. Abuza said. Mr. Duterte “has made his war on drugs his priority issue, rather than domestic security, despite ample evidence of a rapidly deteriorating situation” in the country’s south.
While military analysts expect the combined might of Washington and to eventually result in the battlefield defeat of the Maute group, the prolonged resistance in the city could be a major propaganda victory for the Islamic State.
The fight for Marawi “has already boosted the profile of these groups and made them more attractive to aspiring fighters, both foreign and domestic,” Mr. Hartman said. “This will make the challenge of stemming the flow of foreign fighters into that much more difficult, putting a premium on boosting cooperation with neighboring countries like Indonesia and Malaysia.”
America’s ally
U.S. special operations forces in have maintained a strictly advisory role in the Marawi offensive. Roughly 100 U.S. Marines and special operations forces based in Zamboanga, over 250 miles east of Marawi, have provided intelligence and logistics support to Philippine forces in Mindanao.
The small team of American troops represents one of the earliest U.S. counterterrorism operations launched in the wake of 9/11. At the height of Operation Enduring Freedom-, over 400 task force members provided combat support to ’s efforts to quash groups such as Abu Sayyaf.
The Pentagon has denied claims that it is weighing whether to formally reinstitute the U.S. special operations task force in the southern in the wake of the Marawi operation. The task force was officially shuttered in 2015. But since then, Washington has continued to funnel weapons and support to the .
U.S. officials announced Monday that it had deployed a Gray Eagle unmanned surveillance aircraft over Marawi.
In February, the Pentagon approved a weapons deal with , delivering over 400 grenade launchers, 85 sniper rifles and three RQ-11B Raven surveillance drones to Philippine forces based in Mindanao. Last month, Washington delivered a pair of Cessna 208B Grand Caravan intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to the country’s air force as part of a $33 billion military aid package designed to bolster ’s counterterrorism capabilities.
But Philippine commanders say U.S. forces are already on the front lines in Marawi.
spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said in June that U.S. forces based in Zamboanga had “been moved to help ground forces in Marawi.” He declined to say how many American troops were in Marawi, only that they were “very few.”
“They are in Marawi but are not allowed to join combat,” he told reporters.
His comments were the first official confirmation of U.S. forces taking an active advisory role on the ground inside Marawi. On Friday, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said his country was willing to provide military support as well.
“We have a vital, vested interest in that ISIL insurgency being defeated,” Mr. Turnbull told reporters in Sydney.
Hyperwarp
Replace in first Kfir/C2/7 or F-7GS/BS or Mig-27
Replace in first Kfir/C2/7 or F-7GS/BS or Mig-27
Sri Lanka will acquire from Russia six former Indian fighters Su-30K
CAMTO, September 22.
Sri Lanka will acquire the remaining six of the 18 manufactured for India in 1996-1998. and redeemed by the scheme of "trade-in" fighters Su-30K. As is known, 12 Su-30K planes were previously contracted by Angola (the contract provides for their repair and modernization
Jura The idiot
General
Aug 12, 2017
Battle for Marawi Deepens Philippines' Military Budget Challenge
September 22, 2017
related:3,000,000,000 PHP =58,757,021.34USD now:
Cost of war on IS: P3B
August 12, 2017
Battle for Marawi Deepens Philippines' Military Budget Challenge
September 22, 2017
The rising terror threat also affects the country’s budget plans for its military modernization.
As I’ve noted in these pages, the Philippines ongoing fight against terrorism – most recently manifested by a siege in the southern city of Marawi by Islamic State-linked militants which began on May 23 – has exposed the challenges faced by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) (See: “”).
That reality is not just true in terms of the metrics that often grab the headlines – such as personnel or equipment – but also financing as well. As the Philippines seeks to modernize its military after decades of underfunding to confront a vast array of challenges, the rising terror threat has not only affected the country’s perceptions of the threats it faces, but also imposed even greater resource constraints on it as it seeks to boost its capabilities (See: “”).
Though it is still early days and the battle for Marawi is still very much ongoing – with government estimates indicating a few dozen fighters left in the city despite clear advances being made by the AFP – the numbers that Philippine defense officials have been providing so far about budget realities have still been quite striking (See: “”).
To take just one example, at a hearing earlier this month, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that in addition to the 3.5 billion pesos the AFP has spent since the outbreak of the Marawi crisis, it may have to ask for an additional P7.5 billion to hire 20,000 soldiers and 10,000 police personnel. Lorenzana also rightly emphasized that the cost would not only need to factor in hiring the personnel but also training as well, and that, in his estimation, for every 10,000 soldiers, the government would need at least P2.5 billion to train and equip them.
Of course, that amount is just a small slice of the budget proposed by the Department of National Defense (DND) for next year recently approved by the Senate Finance Committee, which is at P195.4 billion (about 8 percent higher than the current budget of P181.3 billion). Yet this is not inconsequential. Though the AFP has been using existing funds allotted to deal with the Marawi crisis, it will need to replenish those funds lest it run out of money towards the end of the year, which is a process already underway.
Also, while we are on the narrow subject of defense budgeting post-Marawi, it is important to note that there is a broader context here in terms of negotiations on the national budget more generally, some of which is tied not to what is happening on the ground but other factors from the priorities of the Duterte government to bureaucratic politics around different institutions. For instance, there have been comparisons between the much beefier boost in intelligence funds for the Philippine National Police tasked with carrying out the Duterte administration’s drug war relative to the AFP, which was granted only a P220 million increase as opposed to the full P280 million increase it sought.
Finally, the defense dimension is also only part of the broader rehabilitation effort in Marawi. After a recent trip there, Lorenzana said that this effort as a whole could end up being much more than the initial government estimate of around P56 billion, and that lawmakers will need to approve an additional P 10billion for this year to start that process. Though part of this can be achieved with the help of foreign donors which have already begun pledging some funding, including Australia, the United States, Japan, Thailand, China, and the European Union, there will need to be some funding allocated domestically for this as well (See: “”).
Jura The idiot
General
Sunday at 1:29 PM
Updated September 27, 2017
and Duterte now claims arrest warrant vs drug lord triggered Marawi siegeAug 12, 2017
related:
Battle for Marawi Deepens Philippines' Military Budget Challenge
September 22, 2017
Updated September 27, 2017
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday claimed that the deadly Marawi siege, which has dragged on since May, erupted after security forces served a warrant of arrest on a drug lord operating there.
“The Marawi war was ignited by the service of a summon and a warrant of arrest of one of the drug lords there,” Duterte said in his speech during the 56th anniversary of the Philippine Constitution Association.
“There was a firefight and that started the rebellion. And I was really aghast to know that until now, they have so many bullets, ordnance and everything that the fight is still going on,” he added.
The president's claim runs counter to what security forces have been saying since hostilities in the city began months ago.
According to the military, a failed attempt by government troops to arrest Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon in Marawi on May 23 triggered the battle against the Maute group, homegrown jihadist militants who claim allegiance with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and backed by some foreign fighters.
"A firefight ensued and our troops reacted properly, but as of tonight, in the Philippines, the Maute group burned several facilities (in the city)," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
The urban warfare prompted Duterte to place the entire Mindanao region under military rule. After the declaration reached the 60-day limit, Congress overwhelmingly voted to extend martial law in the strife-torn region until yearend.
Hapilon, the appointed emir of ISIS in the region, is wanted for the kidnapping of foreigners in the Philippines. The US government has put up a $5-million bounty for his capture with his name on its “most wanted” terror list.
Duterte has, in the past, said that drugs are behind the Marawi siege, claiming in June that "Christians and the Moro, for protection and to ensure the success of their business."
'Marawi drug matrix'
Last week, Duterte released a “drug matrix” of politicians and alleged drug lords whom he claims to have financed the deadly Marawi siege, the biggest internal security crisis for the Philippines in decades.
He then claimed that slain Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog was one of those who poured cash into the extremists that occupied Marawi. He added that some local officials in Central Mindanao are also financing terrorists, but did not elaborate.
In July, government forces discovered 11 kilograms of high-grade methamphetamine or shabu during clearing operations in Marawi.
A few days later, authorities seized two kilos of shabu worth P10 million in the house of former Marawi Mayor Omar Solitario Ali – a discovery that Malacañang said affirmed the link between the ongoing crisis in the city and illegal drugs.
Jura The idiot
General
Sep 1, 2017
Hostages, IEDs slow down push to end war in Marawi
andAug 20, 2017
now
After 100 days, Philippine army says 'last stand' near for Marawi fighters
August 30, 2017
Hostages, IEDs slow down push to end war in Marawi
Western Mindanao Command chief Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez says they will not rush the troops to avoid unnecessary deaths of hostages and soldiers
It's mortar rounds that troops served the Maute Group for breakfast on Sunday morning, October 1. The war rages on, after the military missed its self-imposed deadline to finish the Marawi crisis by end-September. (READ: )
The military said it has taken most of the Maute strongholds in the battle area. But two factors are slowing down the push to end the war in Marawi – securing the safety of the hostages and enemy's strategic use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Clashes could take two more weeks if the terrorists fight it out until the end, based on estimates on the ground. It could be sooner if more enemy fighters follow the . (READ: )
Western Mindanao Command chief Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez said they will not rush the troops.
"We will try to let our ground forces do the clearing operations without undue pressure at 'yung tinatawag nating (and what we call) unnecessary cost of lives, to include hostages at saka sa mga sundalo natin (and our soldires)," said Galvez.
Hostages and IEDs
Hostages are the priority. "Ang pinaka-main (Our main) objective natin is first, rescue the 45 remaining hostages," Galvez said on Friday, September 29.
At least 5 hostages have been rescued from Bato Mosque, including Catholic priest . But the remaining hostages have since been moved and separated into different areas. (READ: )
"We are having a hard time really [because of the] conditions of the hostages, particulary right now that the hostages have been separated," said Galvez.
"Now we are looking at possibility that they are located in 5 different areas," he said.
IEDs also slow down clearing operations because troops need to make sure they do not trip on these, said Colonel Romeo Brawner, Task Group Ranao deputy commander.
IEDs are among the main killers of troops in Marawi.
In Bato Mosque alone, Brawner said troops retrieved 20 IEDs along with high powered firearms and unexploded ordnance.
They also retrieved materials for IEDs such as coins and nails in the mosque, confirming earlier reports that it was where they manufactured the explosives. It took troops at least two weeks to clear the block of Bato Mosque.
300 meters by 300 meters
The fall of Bato Mosque into government hands this week is a "significant gain" for the military, said Galvez.
"We would like to tell you that for the past two weeks, we've had a major breakthrough in terms of enemy killed and recovery of firearms and also substantially getting all the significant and strategic areas that the protagonists are holding before," Galvez said.
The battle area is down to about 300 meters by 300 meters. Troops are also now able to retrieve more bodies from cleared areas in the battlefield.
But the terrain remains difficult, especially becasue the buildings towards Lake Lanao are not as predictable as the the tall buidlings that previously served as Maute strongholds.
"Hindi pare-parehas ang building (The buildings are uneven), which is very very difficult also. But I believe that we’re now having the high ground going to the lake. Maganda disposition ng forces (The forces have a good disposition)," said Galvez.
