Maute members nabbed in Lanao

COTABATO CITY—The military on Monday arrested 11 suspected members of the Maute terror group in a remote village in Lanao del Sur province, a Philippine Army officer said.

Maj. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, 6th Infantry Division commander, said a combined team of policemen and soldiers raided a safe house in Barangay Maragondong in Marogong town and recovered high-powered firearms and bullets from the suspects.

Dela Vega said the group had been placed on a weeklong surveillance after residents informed authorities about the presence of armed men in their village.

Seized from the group were a homemade sniper Barrett rifle, a 60mm mortar launcher, an M-60 cal. machine gun, an M-14 rifle, an M-16 rifle, a Garand rifle, a carbine rifle and bullets.

“It was a bloodless operation since the targets were caught flatfooted. They were surprised [by the raid] and failed to [retaliate],” Dela Vega said. —EDWIN O. FERNANDEZ