28 books tell of heroism and tactics to win battle vs terrorists

REDUCED TO RUBBLE The main battle area in the campaign to free Marawi from the terrorists. JEOFFREY MAITEM

Tales of heroism of fallen soldiers and the courage, unity and resilience of Filipinos have been compiled in more than two dozen books that were launched on the eve of the first anniversary of the start of the five-month battle for the country’s Islamic city of Marawi.

The books document the combat and noncombat operations in the fight against the Islamic State (IS)-linked gunmen who had laid siege to Marawi, Defense Undersecretary Cardozo Luna said during Tuesday’s launch of the 28-volume “Marawi and Beyond: the Joint Task Force Marawi Story” at the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio.

Luna said the stories told in the books “exemplify the effective strategies and proficient methodologies of combining hard power and soft power approaches toward translating our tactical gains in the main battle area into strategic victories.”

The books detail the onset of the siege on May 23 last year and the various operations that helped security forces retake the city, and honor the heroes of Marawi.

Symbolism

“The symbolism of Marawi City: courage, unity and resilience, which truly represent Filipino virtues, are also encompassed in the books’ contents aimed at driving capabilities toward a better Philippine Army,” Luna said.

The 28 books that comprise “Marawi and Beyond” were produced by the Philippine Army’s Operations Research Center (ORC) and Tarlac Heritage Foundation. The main coffee table book summarizes the contents of the 27 other volumes.

Only six books are available to the public. For confidential reasons, the other books in the collection are intended only for military personnel.

“These books are the first and only factual accounts to date of the entire siege of the City of Marawi,” said Isabel Cojuangco-Suntay, cofounder of Tarlac Heritage Foundation.

“We diligently explained and illustrated the salient points of various missions that were undertaken by our combined security forces while showcasing their challenges, adaptations, innovations and lessons learned which revealed inspiring stories that are now part and parcel of Philippine history,” she said.

Firsthand accounts

The Army commanding general, Lt. Gen. Rolando Bautista, who led Joint Task Force Marawi, said the narratives were based on firsthand accounts of primary actors, commanders and enlisted personnel to improve operations, particularly urban warfare.

Bautista noted that remnants of the IS-influenced groups—the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, Abu Sayyaf and Khilafa Islamiyah—remained a security threat but it would take three to five years for them to mount a similar attack.

“We assessed that the threat from the enemy was totally reduced, in terms of leadership, in terms of armaments, in terms of foreign support. The hardcore (Maute) fighters were neutralized in the main battle area,” he explained.