By AJ Bolando
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) denied on Monday night the pronouncement of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on the supposed presence of the Maute group in Metro Manila.
In a television interview, Col. Edgard Arevalo, Public Affairs Office (PAO) head, said that based on their intelligence report, there is no Maute group in Metro Manila, contrary to what PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa claimed earlier.
“Our assessment is the suspect arrested by the PNP is part of the group that is trying to align itself with the Maute group,” Arevalo said to ABS-CBN News Channel.
“Our AFP monitoring still indicate that the hard core Maute group remains to be in Lanao,” he added.
On Monday morning, Dela Rosa presented Nacip Ibrahim, identified as member and coddler of ISIS-inspired Maute members operating in Metro Manila.
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