Jihadists kill 7 in Lanao operation

From the Manila Times (Feb 17): Jihadists kill 7 in Lanao operation

MARAWI CITY: Two Army intelligence officers and five civilians were killed while another soldier was wounded on late Thursday afternoon when operatives encountered members of a jihadist group at this urban area in the village of Lilod-Madaya in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.

The international jihadists group claimed responsibility for the attack saying the “Islamic State (IS) fighters attacked them,” the IS’s Amaq news agency said in its bulletin on Friday.

Military officials said agents from the Military Intelligence Groups 10 (MIG-10) and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) were aboard a silver Isuzu Crosswind at about 4:17 p.m., when they encountered the suspected “local terrorist group ” that triggered a 10-minute a firefight.

Identified only as Maj. Mangalus and Cpl. Libot, the two officers were killed in action while the wounded was named only as Sgt. Cartilla. They were immediately brought to Amai Pakpak Hospital.

The military believed the jihadists suffered severe casualties.

The victims were on a mission to gather intelligence about the Maute group and Abu Sayyaf rebels who are actively operating in Lanao.

Meanwhile, the city police on Friday were investigating the case of five dead civilians whose cadavers were found near the clash site.

They were believed killed in a crossfire during the clashes, local police officials said.

http://www.manilatimes.net/jihadists-kill-7-lanao-operation/312781/