[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’AFP: No Marawi terror spillover to Region 6′ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY PRINCE GOLEZ
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines dismissed the possibility of a spillover of the conflict in Marawi City into Western Visayas following the arrest of three suspected Maute members in Iloilo City.
“There is a possibility of one or two making it through. But being able to do something in the scale of Marawi, we don’t think so. There could not be anything like that,” Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla told Panay News in a press briefing in Malacañang on Monday.
On Sunday three suspected Maute members — one of them believed to be a sister of the Maute brothers leading the local extremist group linked to the Islamic State — were arrested at the port of Iloilo.
They were onboard 2GO’s Manila-bound MV St. Therese of the Child Jesus from Cagayan de Oro that had a stopover in Iloilo.
Security procedures were strengthened along borders and other areas terrorists might use as escape routes, Padilla said.
Marawi City, on the other hand, was placed on lockdown amid the fighting between government troops and the Maute group, he said.
“Imposible na talaga makaalis diyan (It’s impossible to leave Marawi right now),” the military official said.
“Iyong nakaalis earlier, iyon ang nagiging problema, kung saan sila pumunta, saan sila pwedeng pumunta, at ano ang pwede nilang gawin (Those who managed to leave earlier are making us wonder where they went or might go, and what they will do),” he said.
“That’s why one arrest after the other have been made because we have been able to locate some of them,” said Padilla./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
