Troops kill Maute group member in clash

From the Sun Star-Zamboanga (Jul 26): Troops kill Maute group member in clash

GOVERNMENT troops have killed an alleged member of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (Isis)-inspired Maute group and recovered high-powered weapons following a firefight in Masiu, Lanao del Sur, the military said Thursday.

Major General Roseller Murillo, Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, did not disclose the place of the clash for reasons of operational matters except in saying that it happened around 9 a.m. Thursday, July 26, 2018.

He identified the slain Maute group member as Zainal Candidato. No one among the troops were either killed or wounded in the clash.

Murillo said the firefight ensued when the troops from the Army’s 49th Infantry Battalion, based on information from civilians, raided the lair of Panarigan Tama Baoraki alias Golden Boy and Hadji Rasul Amimbering in Masiu.


The military official said that the two are leaders of an armed group with ties to the Isis-inspired Maute group operating in Lanao del Sur.

The Baoraki and Amimbering and their followers fled to different directions following a 10-minute firefight, he added.

He said the troops have recovered at the clash site the following: three M-16 Armalite rifles; two Rocket-Propelled Grenade launchers; two grenades; two ISIS flags; six sachets of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly known as “shabu”; a cellular phone; and other illegal drug paraphernalia.

Murillo commended the people of Lanao del Sur for reporting the presence of the Isis-inspired Maute group members and the troops for swift and decisive action that led to the successful operations.

“Preventing and countering violent extremism is a shared responsibility of all members of our society but primarily of the people in the communities which these terrorists seek to destroy our way of life,” he added.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1754850/Zamboanga/Local-News/Troops-kill-Maute-group-member-in-clash