Military tightens security in Lanao Sur after clash

From the Mindanao Examiner (Jan 21): Military tightens security in Lanao Sur after clash

The Philippine military tightened its security in the restive Muslim province of Lanao del Sur following a clash with militants that left 6 soldiers wounded in Masiu town.

The weekend fighting erupted after soldiers intercepted a group of gunmen that the military said were members of the Maute group that laid siege in Marawi City early this year.

The clash which erupted in Kalilangan village near Marawi last nearly an hour. There were no reports of enemy casualties, but the military said soldiers recovered ammunition and a fragmentation grenade, including an ISIS flag left by the militants.

It was unclear how the military managed to identify the gunmen as Maute fighters, although other militant groups such as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and rouge members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are also actively operating in Lanao del Sur.

Armed civilians who are sympathizers of these militant groups and ISIS are also present in the province. Maute fighters had occupied Marawi in May in an effort to put up an Islamic caliphate in the province, but they were eventually defeated by security forces in deadly battle that lasted 5 months and left the city in ruins.

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