Military: Attack likely an attempt to divert troops from Marawi

KIDAPAWAN, The Philippines - Muslim rebels withdrew from a southern Philippine village on Wednesday after security forces moved rapidly to prevent another crisis amid a monthlong militant siege in nearby Marawi city, officials said.

About 300 gunmen stormed the village of Malagakit in North Cotabato province at dawn on Wednesday and engaged government forces in a firefight. There were no reports of casualties and hundreds of villages fled to safety, but military spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said the gunmen took about five civilians hostage to cover their retreat.

Police said the attackers belonged to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, one of several Muslim rebel groups active in the south. Militant spokesman Abu Misry Mamah acknowledged in a radio interview that his group staged the attack but said they did not intend to take hostages.

The gunmen occupied a school building as they clashed with government forces, said Chief Inspector Realan Mamon, the police chief of Pigcawayan township, where Malagakit is located. The school was closed at the time of the attack.

"They've withdrawn from the area, they're no longer there. The school area is safe," Padilla told a news conference in Manila, adding troops were pursuing the attackers.

The rebels, hiding in the marshy heartland of the country's southern region, broke off from the largest Muslim rebel group several years ago partly to protest peace talks with the government.

Marawi seige

The breakaway rebels, however, have been weakened by battle setbacks and some of its commanders have tried to align themselves with the Islamic State group, according to the military.

Padilla said it was possible the attack was intended to disrupt an ongoing military offensive against a separate group of IS-aligned militants who attacked Marawi, about 55 kilometers away.

"If this is a diversionary move, it's not the first by these BIFF gunmen," Padilla said. "They have tried to attack more than once and all have been thwarted."

Last month, about 500 militants seized Marawi in the southern Philippines. The attack followed an army and police raid on a hideout that failed to capture a top militant suspect. Philippine troops, backed by airstrikes and artillery, have been fighting street battles to wrest back control of the city's business district.

At least 258 militants, 65 soldiers and police and 26 civilians have been killed and more than 300,000 villagers have fled.

There are fears that IS may be gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia by supporting local militants with money, training and weapons.

However, on Tuesday, the spokesman for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said it is "unlikely" that Marawi would become a hub of Islamist militants in the region.

He also rejected a proposal by some US senators that the US should send more troops to the Philippines, where they have been providing surveillance and intelligence support.

"It's unlikely for Marawi to become a new hub for IS fighters. The Philippine military has already pre-empted the rebel group from establishing a wilayah (or province) in Marawi," Ernesto Abella told a news conference.

US lawmakers have reportedly expressed concern about the growing threats from IS and had called for a bigger role for US forces in the campaign.

But Abella said: "The role of the US in relation to IS is to provide technical assistance as prescribed by the Constitution and we will abide by that."

Ap - Xinhua