Nakatanggap ng ilang milyong dolyar na ayuda mula sa Middle East si Isnilon Hapilon, ang Abu Sayyaf leader na ngayo’y namumuno na sa Maute Group na sumalakay sa Marawi City.
Ayon kay Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, ito ang dahilan kaya’t nagkaroon na kakayahan si Hapilon na makapag-recruit at mapalaki ang kanyang grupo.
Maliban pa anya ito sa suporta na natatanggap ni Hapilon mula sa Maguindanao.
Kumbinsido si Lorenzana na nasa isang bahagi ng Marawi City na nahihirapang mabawi ng militar nagtatago si Hapilon.
“They have a lot of money to spend around, they are buying royalties. To one of the Maguindanao Congresswoman, she said, how could a Yakan Ispilon bring his troops Yakan to a Maranao area, a contrary or a whatever…there is only one reason there, he has a lot of money to distribute and buy these”, ani Lorenzana.
Kasabay nito, tinukoy ni Lorenzana ang nasyonalidad ng mga dayuhang kasama ng Maute Group sa Marawi City na napatay sa military operations.
Dalawa (2) anya ang Saudi nationals, dalawang (2) Malaysian nationals, dalawang (2) Indonesians, isang Yemeni at isang Chechen.
“There are 8 foreign firers that were killed. We do not know because we don’t have any record of them coming through the proper tunnel from the reports. There is only one way, through the back door, from Indonesia, from Malaysia, Sabah”, pahayag ni Lorenzana.
By Len Aguirre
