Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla | PHOTO: Screengrab from Philippine Army’s official facebook page
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is aiming to eliminate the Islamic State-linked Daulah Islamiyah (DI) by the end of the year, its spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said on Tuesday.
“Our target, for the AFP, as stated during our command conference at the start of the year, was for us to end the insurgency problem once and for all by the end of this year,” Padilla said when asked about the timeline for the elimination of the jihadist group.
Padilla previously said it also targets to finish the Maoist insurgency by year end.
The DI-Maute Group perpetrated the bombing at Mindanao State University in Dec. 2023, leaving four people dead and 50 others wounded.
This terror attack prompted successive pursuit operations which killed 15 of DI members—along with its key leaders— so far.
However, the incidents also cost lives to the government’s side in several attacks deemed by the AFP as retaliatory.
On Feb 19., six Scout Ranger soldiers were killed in a Lanao Del Norte encounter while four soldiers were also killed in a March 18 ambush in Maguindanao del Sur.
READ: Marcos vows swift justice for slain soldiers in Maguindanao del Sur
Despite this, Padilla said the DI is now having a hard time finding recruits as it grapples with a leadership vacuum.
“We have [had] continuous operations since last year, this group is already operating in small numbers and they already have a leadership vacuum,” Padilla said.
“That’s why they are retaliating at this point,” she added.