T

he ongoing clash between the Philippine military and Islamist militants in the country’s southern region of Mindanao has raised concerns that militant groups in Indonesia could be drawn to join the fight.

The clash in the city of Marawi in Mindanao, which has so far led to the deaths of 85 civilians, could be seen by Indonesian militants as a potential training ground, especially because of its proximity to Indonesia, terrorism expert Al Chaidar said on Sunday. It would take militants only five hours to reach Marawi by boat from Indonesia’s northernmost island of Miangas in North Sulawesi province.

“The clash could attract militant groups from Indonesia. They surely want to learn [from militants on Mindanao Island] about how they aim to capture the city [of Marawi],” Al Chaidar told The Jakarta Post on Sunday, referring to homegrown militant groups such Jamaah Ansharut Daulah and the East Indonesia Mujahidin, both of which are affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Syria.

“Members of these groups have been flying to Syria and Iraq, so chances are that they will also travel to Marawi,” Al Chaidar said.

The outbreak of violence, which occurred after the Mindanao-based militant Maute group attempted to capture the city of Marawi, prompted President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines to cut short his visit to the Russian capital of Moscow last Tuesday and declare martial law for 60 days throughout both the city of Marawi and Mindanao Island.

IS, through its media wing Amaq Agency, has boasted of its role in the advancement of the Maute group, which reportedly captured several government offices in the city.

The Philippine Army said on Sunday that the militant group had murdered 19 civilians in Marawi after the group was locked in a street-to-street battle with military forces, bringing the official death toll to at least 85 since the outbreak of the clash last week, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Sunday. Among the 19 people killed are three women and a child, who were found dead near a university.

“These are civilians, women. These terrorists are anti-people. We found their bodies while conducting rescue operations [on Saturday],” regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera told AFP.

Meanwhile, the police said bodies of dead civilians had been found in ravines, with some of them shot in the head and others with hands tied behind their backs, Reuters reported. These bodies were reportedly those of laborers who were stopped by Islamic militants on the outskirts of Marawi while trying to flee the clash.

The police also found a sign attached to one of the bodies displaying the word munafiq (traitor). The discovery confirms speculation that the Maute rebels have begun killing civilians.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said there had so far been no accounts of Indonesian nationals linking up with the Marawi militants.

He said of the 11 Indonesian nationals who have been evacuated from Marawi, 10 were Jamaah Tabligh members from Bandung, West Java, who had traveled to the city to perform khuruj, an Islamic practice of traveling around the world to spread Islam.

Indonesian Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Wuryanto, meanwhile, said the developments in Marawi posed a threat to Indonesia due to its proximity with the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.

“Why does IS want to make the Philippines its Southeast Asian base? It is not because The Philippines is a Catholic-majority nation. It is because they want to target Indonesia,” Wuryanto told the Post on Sunday.