2 men linked to goat dealers slay killed in Mamasapano clash
INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — Two men tagged by the military as suspected terrorists responsible for the killing of three goat dealers from Batangas were killed in an armed encounter in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao del Sur, over the weekend.
Authorities said the operation also prevented a potential terrorist attack.
The operating brigade under the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID) launched a “decisive military operation” on Sunday against suspected members of the Islamic State-linked terrorist group Daulah Islamiyah-Hassan Group.
According to the 6ID, the operation was based on reports that the group was planning to plant improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in populated areas.
“Once again, we have saved many innocent civilian lives,” 6ID commander Major General Donald Gumiran said in a statement. “With the prompt response of our soldiers, the plan of local terrorists to sow violence in this peaceful part of Mindanao was thwarted.”
Bloody clash
Brigadier General Edgar Catu, commander of the 601st Infantry Brigade, identified the fatalities as Tahir Salim Suweb, 41, a resident of Barangay Baka, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, and Benladin Adi Kamid, 23, a resident of Barangay Macasampen, Guindulungan, Maguindanao del Sur.
Also wounded in the encounter were their alleged cohorts, Junjun Kayogen Leosen, 37, and Rasul Mendoza Kariman, 31, both from Maguindanao del Sur. The military said the two were immediately brought to the nearest hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, several other members of the group fled the scene after the firefight and remain at large.
Retaliation for crimes
Catu said the group was directly linked to the goat dealers who were found dead in Barangay Nabundas, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao del Sur, on May 30.
READ: Bodies of 3 slain Batangas goat dealers brought back to Manila
“The killed terrorists, their arrested wounded companions, and those who escaped are directly related to the killing of the three businessmen from Batangas,” Catu said in a statement on Monday.
Catu also reported that the group was involved in a series of thefts and killings of civilians to sustain the logistical needs of their armed faction.
He added that the members of the group were responsible for the ambush of government troops in Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao del Sur, last March, which resulted in the deaths of four soldiers.
Mamasapano
The town where the latest encounter took place was also the site of the infamous February 4, 2015, massacre of 44 members of the police’s Special Action Force, during a botched mission to serve arrest warrants on high-ranking terrorist officials.
READ: Full report: The Mamasapano incident
READ: Duterte: SAF 44 sent to lion’s lair
Sporadic armed encounters have continued to occur in the area since then, which has long been regarded as a stronghold of local armed groups./mcm
