A CALIPHATE refers to the office of caliph. The caliph (calif) is a successor to Mohammed as head of Islam, originally having full political as well as religious power. Marawi City could have been the best caliphate for the Islamic State in the Philippines if not for the intervention of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.
The “War in Marawi” lasted for more than a month already. This is a real war or a propaganda war. This is war-to-the-bone because our armed forces are facing the terrorists. This could be a propaganda war to prove the physical and mental stamina of President Duterte. Before the Marawi seige (late April), Duterte said, “Get me a terrorist. Give me salt and vinegar. I will eat his liver.”
To date, he has yet to put down a rebellion. As of 7 p.m. last Sunday, spokesperson Ernesto Abella said government troops rescued 1,702 civilians; killed 290 terrorists and recovered 347 firearms. In this show of force, 70 soldiers and 27 civilians have been killed by the Maute group. American military personnel act as advisers (“non-combat assistance”) and the United States Navy P-3 Orion provides surveillance support to Philippine ground troops.
America simply wants to prove that President Duterte can no longer use his lightning words in a situation like this. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst has his hard words for this, “Al-Qaida used the Philippines as a safe harbor to plan the horrific attacks on September 11, 2001, and we cannot let Isis do the same.” Probably, President Duterte is thinking that American intervention this time is accepted with a swallowed pride. He does not want to be blamed by the world if things get worst.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State emir, mentioned the creation of the caliphate in June 2014 from the pulpit in Mosul’s Grand Mosque. It was based on utopian vision dating back to the founding of Islam, modernized by the Muslim Brotherhood, hijacked and militarized by radical ideologies, and globalized by Al Qaida. The Islamic state rejuvenated the “jihad” (holy war) after the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Until now, the quest for a modern caliphate continues. The brand is entrenched. The Islamic State believes an allusion to the prophecies foretelling the fall of the West and a signal that the Islamic State operations may increasingly shift from inside the caliphate to outside. After Marawi, there could be other towns and cities for wolf attacks.
The target is to capture or cut down Isnilon Hapilon, the head of a southern Philippine militia and the leaders of pro-Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) brigade, Omarkhayam and Abdullah Maute. Our armed forces are down in their knees fighting “with American advisers” not just because of Maute brothers but because of Hapilon who is worth “millions of dollars.” We remember the killing of Marwan that caused the massacre of “SAF 49.” Does history repeat itself in dollars? Experience Marawi, Philippines!
The Maute brothers are not interested in compromise or in greater political autonomy for the Maranao indigenous people. They do not bite hook line and sinker the federalism bait of Duterte. “We do not want Muslims to be neutral. They either have to join us or be our opponent: You are with us or you are against us.” The Maute brothers could have picked their ideology when they studied in Jordan and Egypt.
The Maute group is targeting Christians and the Muslims who reject violence. The youngest Filipino Muslim fighters are around 12 or 13 years old. They have guns and wear black suits with flags of Isis. Those who do not join them are tagged as ”munafik” (traitor). American advisers are telling our soldiers to use “tactical patience” to avoid heavy collateral damage. The Isis would want to convince other Muslims that this is now a holy war.
Jihadis are urged to attack outdoor festivals, markets, political rallies, and pedestrian-clogged streets. The method of such an attack is that vehicle is plunged at a high speed into a large congregation of “kuffar” (non-believers). They use tactical terms like “inhiyaz ila-al saraa,” a retreat into the desert. The term means “regrouping in order to return to the battle.” The movement would rebuild, recruit, break into prisons to bolster its ranks, and later make surprise sweep to the government lines.
The Isis has this line of faith defense, “You could only defeat us and be victorious if you are able to remove Koran from the hearts of the Muslims.” They also use illegal drugs that generate euphoria and enable fighters to endure long battles and painful injuries. The Isis is so aggressive, so bloodthirsty, and so defiant. It will oust a regime to create a caliphate. If not in Marawi, it could be somewhere else.