15 suspected militants killed in Philippines

Manila: Philippine troops have killed 15 suspected militants and arrested an alleged bomb expert in an offensive on a suspected hideout in a southern province, the military said.

The assault occurred on Sunday in the area of Liguasan Marsh in Maguindanao province, 945km south of Manila, according to Lt-Col Harold Cabunoc who led the raid.

Lt-Col Cabunoc said the hideout was being used by Islamic State- allied militants as a factory for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used in various attacks in the southern Philippines.

Troops arrested Ustadz Anwar Ali, 22, who was allegedly the bomb expert of the group, and his wife Asnaya, 20, during the offensive, he added.

“The suspects threw their weapons and improvised bombs in the water when we blocked all their escape routes,” Lt-Col Cabunoc said.

Ustadz Anwar is also known as Abu Omar.

The operation resulted in the destruction of the factory, recovery of IEDs and 15 terrorists being killed, Lt-Col Cabunoc added.

The militants were members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which has been identified by the Philippine government as one of the local militant groups affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist network. The BIFF, estimated to have between 300 and 400 members, was a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed a peace agreement with the government in 2014.

Under the deal, a new autonomous Muslim region would be established in the southern Philippines under a law that the government hopes would be ready for approval by President Rodrigo Duterte next month.