A group of terrorists led by a Malaysian jihadist reportedly suffered several casualties after military fighter planes pounded their position at the hinterlands of Datu Salibo town in Maguindanao on Monday.
A two-hour air strike by rocket-firing attack planes hit a terrorist stronghold, followed by intense clashes between army troopers and the terrorists in Barangay Tee, which reportedly resulted in a still undetermined number of casualties.
Captain Arvin Encinas, Chief Public Affairs Office of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division based in Camp Siongco, Maguindanao, said the assault was launched after reports indicated the presence of two terrorists—Salahudin Hassan, alias “Bungos,” a local bomber and Abu Toraype, alias Muawiya, a foreign terrorist leader linked to the Jemaah Islamiya.
Encinas said that Bungos, a known Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter leader, was responsible for several Improvised Explosive Device bombings in Central Mindanao that inflicted casualties on both civilians and government troops while damaging private properties.
Muawiya, on the other hand, was previously allied with the group of the late Abdul Basit Usman, a top bomber and head of the Special Operations Group of the BIFF and the now deceased Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan.
Marwan was killed on Jan. 15, 2015 after the police’s Special Action Force assaulted his safehouse under Oplan “Exodus” in the marshland of Guindalungan, Maguindanao which resulted in a bloody clash that killed 44 SAF members.
Encinas, however, said the two terrorist leaders were able to escape at the height of the air strikes and artillery shelling, but added that army troops are now in hot pursuit of the terrorist group.
Encinas said the terrorist group suffered an undetermined number of casualties based on civilian accounts.
“The civilians saw some of the casualties being carried away by the fleeing terrorists,” Encinas said, but added that they have yet to validate the exact number of casualties on the terrorists’ side. He said the government side did not suffer any casualty or injury during the fighting.
The troopers later recovered four IEDs and three pressure-type bombs which were detonated by the military’s Explosive Ordnance team.
The air strikes, Encinas said, was made to deter and weaken the capabilities of the enemies fighting government troops.
“The focus of the military ooperations has to do with the mandate of the 6th ID to protect the people and secure the community the best way they can against the local and foreign terror groups that would hanper peace and order situation in Central Mindanao,” he said.
