Palace official says military, police conducting operations against threat groups

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 27): Palace official says military, police conducting operations against threat groups

Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. on Friday said the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police are conducting law enforcement operations against threat groups.

The Palace official issued the statement following a four-hour battle between security forces and suspected terrorists in Palimbang town in Sultan Kudarat on Thursday that left eight people dead, including an Indonesian believed to be linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

According to reports, Indonesian Sucipto Ibrahim Ali, alias Abdul Fatah, was killed when soldiers of the 61st Marine Company under the Marine Battalion Landing Team 6 patrolling Sitio Sinapingan in Barangay Butril, clashed with the suspected terrorists at about 5:40 a.m. on Thursday.

Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Major Felimon Tan, Jr. said the eight killed were members of the Ansar Al Khalifa, an ISIS terror cell operating in Mindanao.

The military is still verifying if the slain Indonesian was indeed Sucipto, a member of the Mujahidin Indonesia Timur, which has direct links to the ISIS.

"There are continuing efforts to verify if indeed there are possible links of such groups with other threat elements within and outside the country," Coloma said.

The Communications Secretary also assured that "security forces are committed and focused on ensuring the safety and well-being of our citizens whose vigilance and cooperation are essential in maintaining peace and order".

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=832117