Three ISIS gunrunners killed in Mindanao firefight
They allegedly ran firearms for the pro-Daesh Maute Group in Lanao del Sur province.
LANAO DEL SUR: Three suspected gunrunners of a pro-Daesh group led by the terror outfit's Southeast Asia leader were killed by Philippine government forces in the southern province of Lanao del Sur on Sunday (Apr 2).
Joint operatives of Lanao del Sur provincial police, Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) and the Bangsamoro Crime Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) were enforcing search warrants against four individuals suspected of firearms offences, the Bangsamoro police said in a statement Monday (Apr 3).
The operation resulted in an armed encounter that led to the killing of the trio, arrest of seven suspects and wounding of one SAF trooper in Matampay Dimarao village, Bubong municipality.
The three slain suspected criminals were identified as Bashir Marcarangcat, Sowaib Marcarangcat and Abdulatip Ripag, the Bangsamoro police said.
The seven arrested were identified as Sultan Macalawan Maulana Macarambon @ Maulana Macarambon, Nasrudin Macarambon Acob, Salik Maulana, Anwar Aragon, Acmali Sarip, Saynolla Tigunogon and a 14-year-old boy.
The group, according to the Bangsamoro police, were known for gunrunning, proliferation of illegal drugs and identified supporter of Dawlah Islamiyah - Lanao, another name for the Maute Group, which is led by Daesh Southeast Asia emir Faharudin Hadji Satar also known as Jer Mimbantas and Abu Zacharia.
The suspects had sensed the presence of the joint operating forces and opened fire, causing the operating team to retaliate, Bangsamoro police recounted.
SAF trooper Corporal Celso Ninla Tingcang was shot and injured during the firefight and was transported to the Amai Pakpak Medical Center in Marawi City for medical treatment.
A physician pronounced the three suspects as dead on arrival, while the SAF trooper is currently in stable condition.
One 12-gauge shotgun, one carbine rifle with 10 rounds and a magazine, one 1911A1 pistol with two magazines and six rounds, a fragmentation hand grenade, a rifle grenade, and one rifle scope were confiscated from the suspects.
Also seized were 25 heat-sealed transparent sachets of suspected methamphetamine weighing about 10 grams worth Php58,000.00.
Other recovered firearms were one M16 rifle with two magazines and 39 rounds as well as one 1911 A1 Norinco pistol with one magazine and six rounds.
The arrested suspects and seized firearms were brought to the Lanao Del Sur CIDG for documentation and filing of criminal charges.
The three cadavers were given to their respective families for burial rites.
Bangsamoro police's newly installed Regional Director Allan Cruz Nobleza commended the joint operating units for their efforts and dedication in bringing the criminals behind bars, even at the cost of their own lives, in order to preserve the safety and security of the community and provide a place of refuge for the Bangsamoro people.
He asked the public to continue their support to the programmes of the police and military to eradicate terrorism and achieve lasting peace in the Bangsamoro region.
A special report by this writer for The Diplomat last year detailed Abu Zacharia's background and radicalisation at the hands of an Indonesian extremist.
His terror outfit the Maute Group along with the Abu Sayyaf Group laid siege on Marawi City in 2017 to establish Daesh's territory in the region.
Philippine government forces retook the city after five months of intense fighting that killed more than 1,200 people, mostly militants, and destroyed much of the city.