Philippines military photos show children among ISIS foreign terrorists killed in Marawi

Child soldiers were among 32 foreign militants who were killed during the battle of Marawi last year, images released to a Filipino terrorism expert appear to show.

More than 1,200 people, mostly militants, were killed during the five-month battle between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and militant groups linked to Islamic State in the southern Philippine city of Marawi that ended in October 2017.

The Maute group and Abu Sayyaf effectively held Marawi hostage in their aim to create an Islamic state in Southeast Asia. The battle resulted in the utter destruction of the once-vibrant Islamic City of Marawi, the only one so designated in the Philippines.

During and after the battle, reports emerged about child soldiers fighting alongside the militants.

Early in the fighting, unsuspecting Philippine troops were taken by surprise by attacks from children they initially thought were innocent.

The militants in Marawi were helped by foreign fighters, mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia, although some reportedly came from Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Chechnya.

It is unclear how many foreign fighters were involved in the Marawi battle, but a Filipino terrorism expert has revealed a “semi-official” and partially complete list of foreign militants, including apparent children, killed in Marawi.

Citing information on a slide provided to him by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Chairman of the Board of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research Rommel Banlaoi told The Defense Post that 32 foreign fighters had been neutralized in Marawi.

Banlaoi presented that information at a security symposium in Kuala Lumpur last month. Despite the wide media reporting of the event, there has been no coverage of Banlaoi’s presentation.

While mentioning the 32 foreign militants killed, the slide lists only 16 of them, and it does not include their ages, nationalities or other information such as how and when they were killed.

Source: Defence Post