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9 suspected Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute group members killed in Lanao del Sur clash

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ABS-CBN News

Nine suspected members of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute terrorist group were killed while four soldiers were wounded in a two-hour gunbattle Thursday afternoon in the upland village of Tapurog in Piagapo, Lanao del Sur, a military official said Friday.Troops of the Philippine Army&#x27;s 103rd Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, encountered around 15 suspected terrorists led by alias Mahater together with alias Engineer, alias Omar and alias Khatab, who were allegedly the perpetrators of the Mindanao State University bombing on December 3, 2023 that killed 4 people.The slain suspects were identified as alias Omar, alias Mikdad, alias Imam, alias Abdullah, alias Muhajeer, alias Hamza, alias Mauwiyah, alias Mohaimen and a still unidentified. Brig. Gen. Yegor Rey Baroquillo Jr., commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, said the encounter took place during an operation launched by the 7th Company of the 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion to hunt down the suspects.“The troops also recovered eight assorted high-powered firearms,” Baroquillo said.Wounded soldiers were brought to a nearby hospital..Baroquillo said the Lanao del Norte towns of Pantao Ragat, Poona Piagapo and Munai, which are close to Lanao del Sur, are temporarily under the operational control of 103rd Infantry Brigade until March this year.Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur and nearby areas were placed on heightened red alert following the clash.Several checkpoints were put up along the national highway in the coastal towns of Linamon, Barangay Inudaran of Kauswagan, Bacolod and Maigo towns, all in Lanao del Norte, to ensure the safety of civilians. - report from Merlyn Manos

Nine suspected terrorists were killed in a gunbattle Thursday in the upland village of Tapurog in Piagapo, Lanao del Sur, a military official said Friday.