Security forces are holding 8 members of a jihadist group – including three women – tagged as behind the series of terrorism in southern
Officials said army soldiers and policemen intercepted the group while transporting explosives in a van in the
Troops seized from the jihadists two pipe bombs, two
fragmentation grenades, one improvised explosive assembled from an 81mm mortar,
two .45-caliber pistols and electronic triggering devices.
Officials said those arrested also gave out different names to mislead authorities, but army and police interrogators later found out that all those intercepted are members and relatives of Abdullah Maute, who founded the Dawlah Islamiya or “Islamic State” in southern
Interrogation reports revealed the gang was plotting to bomb
civilian targets in the volatile region, according to army Major Filemon Tan, a
spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command.
He said the daring interception and arrest of the jihadists was largely due to the intelligence provided by civilians in the province.
“The fast reaction of troops and the information of concerned
citizens was the key for thwarting a terror attack intended to kill innocent
people in populated target areas. IEDs do not select its victims, children,
Christians or Muslims, young and old, lahat papatayin niyan and in a wide scale
kaya napakalaking bagay na hindi natuloy ito dahil na din sa cooperation ng
taong-bayan at responde ng sundalo at pulis,” Tan said.
Just recently, security forces killed 3 members of another jihadist group called Ansar Al-Khilafah Philippines (AKP) in Daliao village in nearby Sarangani’s Maasim town and troops recovered improvised explosives from the slain militants. Both the AKP and Maute group pledged allegiance with the Islamic State of Iraq and
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