Five terrorists, soldier killed in Mindanao clash: Official

MANILA: Government forces, aided by two atack helicopters, clashed with members of a Daesh-inspired Moro terror group in Lanao del Sur province in Mindanao, that resulted in the killing of five militants and a soldier, a top military officer confirmed on Saturday.

Brigadier General Jose Maria Cuerpo, the chief of an Army infantry batalion, reported that a soldier was also wounded in the clash that occurred on Thursday in the town of Butig, Lanao del Sur.

Cuerpo said they launched an operation, assisted by two Philippine Air Force atack helicopters ater confirming reports over the presence of heavily armed men believed to be members of the Dawlah Islamiyah-maute Group in a “barangay” (village) in the town of Butig.

Cuerpo said the two groups, which had pledged allegiance to the Daesh extremists in the Middle East, were also allegedly involved in the siege of the capital city of Marawi of Lanao del Sur, in late May 2017.

The soldiers seized from the encounter site high-powered firearms, a rocket-propelled grenade, assorted ammunition and improvised land mines, according to Cuerpo.

He added the terrorists were stockpiling weapons and food for future atacks in the area.

In a separate statement, Lieutenant General Alfredo Rosario, the chief of the military’s Western Mindanao command, commended the soldiers for their “successful operation” against the militants.

Rosario pointed out the threat of the Dawlah Islamihah-maute Group has weakened following the “neutralisation” of 64 terrorists in the first quarter of the year.

“We are gaining ground,” Rosario said, “because of the co-operation and support of local officials and various sectors of society as well as the swit reaction of our troops to reports from civilians on the whereabouts of our adversaries.”

Earlier, military intelligence experts said Daesh leaders had ordered the terror groups like Dawlah Islamiyah, the Maute Group and the Abu Sayyaf to lay siege on Marawi City in May 2017.