Police and military forces clashed on Thursday with three supporters of the Islamic State (IS) and killed all of them in Lanao del Norte.
Army Brig. Gen. William Alunday, commander of anti-terror task group, said the trio opened fire on security forces out to arrest them in Barangay Lumba Punud.
“The joint law enforcement operations of military and police neutralized the notorious Maute-IS remnants in Lanao del Norte early this morning,” he said.
Maute is an IS-inspired terrorist group that last year laid siege to Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, in May last year.
ARMS HAUL A military photo shows weapons seized by soldiers and policemen from slain Islamic State supporters in Pantar, Lanao del Norte. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Alunday tagged the slain Maute remnants as “terrorists.”
One of the slain bandits was identified as Omar Daiser, a known drug pusher who escaped from prison and joined IS in May during the Marawi siege.
Daiser was also a follower of former Marawi Mayor Solitario Ali, who was accused by authorities as involved in the illegal drug trade.
“Daiser had a standing warrant of arrest for robbery with homicide issued by the Marawi City Regional Trial Court. He was known to be an illegal drug user and pusher and a follower of Solitario Ali, former mayor of Marawi City, who is involved in the illegal drug trade,” Alunday said.
He added that troops recovered the bodies of the slain terrorists, including their weapons—four M16 automatic rifles, one M203 grenade launcher, one FAL automatic rifle and one police Beretta 9mm pistol and assorted ammunition and bandoliers.
The bodies were claimed by Bokari Abdulgani, a town council member.
Meanwhile, Army Major Gen. Roseller Murillo, 1st Infantry Division commander, said “government forces will continue to intensify its internal security operations to neutralize the remnants of terrorist groups in Marawi.”
http://www.manilatimes.net/3-supporters-killed-lanao-del-norte-clash/379054/
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