Army rains bombs on IS lair in Maguindanao del Sur

COTABATO CITY—The Armed Forces of the Philippines stepped up offensives against Islamic State (IS)-linked local terrorists, launching airstrikes on their lair in three adjoining towns in Maguindanao del Sur starting at dawn on Tuesday.

The Army-led airstrikes was followed by artillery attacks toward the lair of Dawlah Islamiyah (DI) in Maguindanao del Sur whose members were believed to be behind the April 17 bombing of a Husky Tours bus in Isulan town, Sultan Kudarat province, that left seven persons wounded.

“This is a follow-up operation against terrorist groups responsible for the Isulan bus bombing,” Brig. Gen. Oriel Pangcog, commander of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade, explained in a radio interview on Tuesday.

At least 15 families, or 75 individuals, abandoned their homes in the marshland communities of Datu Piang town and fled to homes of relatives in nearby Datu Salibo town as the bombing continued, the Datu Piang municipal disaster risk reduction and management office said.

It said the evacuees are from Sitio Lintukan, Barangay Magaslong of Datu Piang because of the ongoing mortar shelling and ground military assaults in parts of the adjoining Datu Piang, Datu Salibo and Shariff Saydona Mustapha towns.

No collateral damage

Lt. Col. Dennis Almorato, speaking for the 6th Infantry Division, assured the target of the recent military operation was far from civilian communities.

“We have an accurate operation, I assure you no collateral damage on civilians,” Almorato assured.

He added that the civilians also confirmed the presence of DI forces under Commander Hassan, who was consolidating his forces in Barangay Magaslong of Datu Piang.

“So, we busted them first before they can launch their attacks,” Almorato said.

Two attack helicopters dropped bombs toward a group of houses in the middle of the marshland in Barangay Magaslong of Datu Piang at about 3 a.m. on Tuesday.

Abut Manaut, a resident of Datu Piang, said in a radio interview that he was awakened by the sounds of two helicopters hovering over the marshland.

“We could not clearly see the helicopters, only blinking red lights and the sound that we hear. (Then) explosions followed,” Manaut said in the vernacular.

Holed up

The airstrikes were backed by artillery attacks from 105mm howitzers. At the break of dawn, ground troops started scouring the marshland.

“We cannot say yet if there were casualties, our troops are still there,” Pangcog said past noon Tuesday.

Citing intelligence information, he said the operation was launched against DI members holed up in the middle of the marsh.

“We will not stop until they are made accountable,” he added.

Pangcog described the target area as “difficult to reach” because it is in the middle of the marsh and could only be reached by watercrafts.

“Only bancas and motorboats can reach their area, our troops have difficulty reaching it, because the water is low now, our troops can reach it easily,” he added.

Pangcog also described the target area as “the launching pad of DI in carrying out bombing sorties against military forces and innocent civilians like bus passengers.”

He said intelligence information showed that DI and its ally, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), distributed improvised bombs to DI couriers and from there they carry the explosives to identified destinations.

“So, before they can do that, we will destroy them,” Pangcog said. Isulan bombing

On April 17, a powerful bomb ripped through a double-decker bus while parked at the Integrated Bus Terminal in Barangay Kalawag of Isulan town.Bomb experts investigating the blast found a secondary bomb at the upper deck and safely deactivated it.

Police and military authorities blamed the BIFF and DI for the bombing. Last week, the Sultan Kudarat police filed charges against nine alleged BIFF members linked to the blast.

Police Col. Christopher Bermudez, Sultan Kudarat police director, told reporters two of the nine suspects served as couriers, boarded the double-decker bus in Maguindanao del Sur and disembarked somewhere in Isulan before setting off the explosive.

The other suspects served as planners and logistical providers during the bombing, Bermudez said. INQ