AFP: 24 Islamist rebels confirmed dead in clash

TWENTY-FOUR rebels belonging to the Jemaah Islamiyah-affiliated Maute group have been confirmed killed after government troops seized control of its stronghold in Butig, Lanao del Sur, last week.

The Maute group is led by brothers Omar and Abdullah Maute.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said the fatalities on the enemy side are only those identified by name and are included in the body count.

“There could be more than 24, but unless validated we won’t report it yet,” said Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, AFP spokesperson.

Padilla said that of the 24 confirmed deaths, 12 bodies were recovered. The identities of the fatalities were disclosed by the Butig local authorities.

This figure is lower than the 42 initially reported by the Western Mindanao Command when it said it seized a stronghold of the Maute group in Butig town, where lawless elements started harassing government troops two weeks ago.

On Thursday, three soldiers were killed and 11 were wounded in the firefight that led to the recovery of two M16 rifles, two rocket propelled grenades and a homemade .50-cal. rifle.

The group led an attack on the detachment of the 51st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in Barangay Bayabao on Feb. 20, killing two soldiers and wounding six others.

The military has been conducting clearing operations since then, with intermittent fighting reported every now and then.

Padilla said the government troops’ objective is to clear the town of armed lawless elements so that the situation will normalize and the residents can finally go back to their homes.

“We will not allow the residents to return until such time that we clear the area and check it for explosives, unexposed ordnance and booby traps,” the military spokesperson said.

Reports from the Office of Civil Defense in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao showed that the number of displaced individuals due to the series of firefights went up as high as 20,091 individuals or 4,311 families.