Four IS terrorists, one soldier killed in Mindanao clashes
The slain terrorists were from the Dawlah Islamiyah - Maute Group.
LANAO DEL SUR: Four alleged members of a pro-IS Filipino terror group and one soldier were reportedly killed in two fierce encounters in the southern province of Lanao del Sur on Wednesday (May 31).
The night clashes between the Dawlah Islamiyah - Maute Group (DI-MG) and the Philippine military occurred in an interior village in Marogong municipality, Bangsamoro regional police director Brigadier General Allan Nobleza was quoted as saying.
Nobleza said troops from the Philippine Army’s special forces unit, the First Scout Ranger Regiment, were conducting a focused military operation after receiving a tip-off that several members of DI-MG, also known as Dawlah Islamiyah-Lanao, were hiding in a secluded location in Piangolongan village.
“We have our scene-of-the-crime operatives now in the area conducting further investigation, we have received information that there were also civilians rescued,” Nobleza was reported as saying by news site Rappler.
Nobleza said the location of the encounter was around four to five kilometers from the downtown area where some residents who fled last week because of clashes between the Philippine security forces and DI-MG had just started to return home.
The Joint Task Force Group-Haribon, led by a certain First Lieutenant Manuel with his combat group from a Scout Ranger company, engaged in a close combat firefight with DI-MG members after 7pm.
One body from DI-MG was recovered after the firefight while the killed Scout Ranger was identified as Private First Class Jemric Pol Cotingjo with three others were wounded.
Not far from the first encounter, before 9 pm of the same night, troops led by a Captain Legada were in a blocking position in the southern part of the clash site in the same village when they encountered the same terror group under IS Phlippines and Southeast Asia emir Faharuddin Hadji Sattar also known as Abu Zacharia and Jer Mimbantas.
The terror group withdrew after it was overpowered by the government troops in the five-minute clash.
A total of four fatalities from DI-MG were recovered from the encounter sites and the military troops also reported rescuing two minors and a woman.
High-powered firearms like an AR-15 bushmaster, M16s and R4 including ammunition, improvised bomb components, grenades, radio communication equipment and other war materials were recovered in the clash site.
“Based on our information the group of Zacharia has splintered into four small groups which they managed to change location anytime in the jungle areas,” Nobleza told Rappler further.
The military and police have been on high alert in the area.
Earlier last week, Abu Zacharia warned of attacking Marogong after four of their young comrades, including two teenagers, were arrested by elements of Moro Islamic Liberation Front and were turned over to the military.
About four thousand residents had evacuated due to fear of the attack.