Army continues hunt for IS followers

MEMBERS of the Army’s 103rd Brigade prepare to go to battle against members of the Maute Group in Lanao del Sur. RICHEL V. UMEL/INQUIRER MINDANAO

BUTIG, Lanao del Sur—The military suffered two casualties in its continuing operation to wipe out an armed group with links to the international terrorist network Islamic State (IS), also known as Isis, and which, military officers said, is part of a bigger group of radicalized Moros that is emerging in Mindanao.

Col. Roseller Murillo, head of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade, said in a phone interview on Thursday that two soldiers were killed in a land mine explosion on Wednesday in the village of Sandab here.

The soldiers were pursuing supposed remnants of the Maute Group, which has been blamed for several cases of kidnappings and bombings in parts of Mindanao.

The military has been pounding the group’s position with howitzer fire and air strikes since May 24.

Murillo said soldiers “were advancing” toward the Maute Group’s hideout in Sandab when “our soldiers were hit by an explosion” caused by a land mine.

Prior to the land mine explosion, soldiers found an improvised explosive device (IED) along the way.

2Lt. Glenn Sumalbag, a soldier who was wounded in the land mine blast, said troops were clearing their path following the recovery of the IED when the blast occurred.

“It’s getting dark and we have failed to notice it (land mine),” he said.

Two of his companions died instantly, Sumalbag added.

The bodies of the slain soldiers had been flown to Iligan City, according to military sources.

Murillo said there was no deadline set for the end of the operation against the Maute Group.

Maj. Gen. Gerardo Barrientos Jr., head of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, who has jurisdiction over this town, told Inquirer that the operation could drag on for days.

But Barrientos said the military was determined to finish the Maute Group as its existence “has vital impact on the overall security in Mindanao.”

The group, which has pledged allegiance to the Daesh or IS, is also known as part of the emerging Khilafah Islamiya Movement (KIM), which is said to be made up of radicalized Moros.

While there is no deadline, Barrientos said the military wants to end the operation against the Maute Group before Ramadan.

“The military respects Ramadan,” he said.

He said, however, that if the Maute Group has not been neutralized by the start of Ramadan, the military would continue the operations.

The military has so far killed 37 terror suspects.

A similar operation launched in February led to the deaths of several members and leaders of the group, which is being blamed for acts of sabotage on power lines, kidnapping and other terror activities in Lanao del Sur.

Murillo said the Maute Group has an extensive stock of IEDs. Soldiers have recovered at least 15 IEDs.

The fighting has so far displaced 1,200 residents, according to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team (ARMM-HEART).

The evacuees are from the villages of Ragayan, Poktan, Bayabao, Sandab, Coloyan and Samer and most are now staying with relatives in Masiu, Lumbayanague and Marawi City. Richel Umel, Inquirer Mindanao