Four suspected terrorists killed in Manila raid
Terror group included a woman acting as a fund conduit for the organization
Philippine security forces killed four suspected terrorists affiliated with Daesh, including a female fund conduit for the terror organization, during a raid at a house in a gated community south of Manila late Friday night.
Reports said joint military and police teams were about to serve a search warrant at a house in Better Living subdivision, Parañaque City, when the suspects opened fire and hurled a grenade at the government forces.
In the ensuing gunfight the four suspects, believed to be members of Daesh-affiliated Daulah Islamiyah (DI) group, were killed. They were identified as Merhama Abdul Sawari, alias Mheng, and her husband, Bensaudi Sali, Rasmin Hussin, alias Boscon, and Jamal Kalliming, alias Pando. Intelligence records of the police show that Sawari was the finance and logistics facilitator for the DI in Sulu province.
She was reportedly the recipient of a remittance from Indonesian Daesh facilitator Yoga Febrianto, alias Suhari, who helped to plan the 2019 Jolo Cathedral suicide attack that killed 23 people. Febrianto was arrested in June 2019 in Sabah, Malaysia.
Sali, Hussin, and Kalliming all worked as security guards.
Security forces recovered from the scene bomb-making materials, firearms, ammunition, two hand grenades and a black flag used by the militants.
Armed Forces Chief Felimon Santos Jr. said the presence of the suspects in Metro Manila highlighted the need for President Rodrigo Duterte to sign and expedite the implementation of the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
“Not even COVID-19 could deter or prevent (these terrorists) and their cohorts from planning and looking for the opportune time to strike and kill or maim innocent civilians and to destroy massively government infrastructure and private property,” Santos said.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Joint military and police teams were about to serve a search warrant at a house in Better Living subdivision, Parañaque City, when the suspects opened fire and hurled a grenade at the government forces.
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In the ensuing gunfight the four suspects, believed to be members of Daesh-affiliated Daulah Islamiyah (DI) group, were killed.
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Intelligence records of the police show that Merhama Abdul Sawari was the finance and logistics facilitator for the DI in Sulu province.