Zamboanga City—An alleged member of the Dawlah Islamiya was killed in a clash with government troops in the hinterlands of Lanao del Sur, military officials said Saturday.
Lt. Col. Rafman Altre, the Army’s 82nd Infantry Battalion commander, identified the slain Dawlah Islamiya member as Jarir Usman, 28, a resident of Barangay Raya Saduc, Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.
Altre said the clash that lasted for about 15 minutes broke out at about 4:30 p.m. Friday when the troops spotted a group of Dawlah Islamiya members while patrolling along the borders of Balindong and Piagapo towns.
He said the remains of Usman were immediately turned over by the troops to the officials of Barangay Gacap, Piagapo for proper disposition.
Altre said recovered from the clash site were the identification card of Usman, one M-16 Armalite rifle, four improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 2 kg. of explosive components, a magazine of M-16 ammunition, a cellphone, a container of rice, personal belongings, and subversive documents with high intelligence value.
He said no one among the troops was either killed or injured and that some of the Dawlah Islamiya members, who fled, were wounded as traces of bloodstains were found in their withdrawal route.
Meanwhile, Col. Jose Maria Cuerpo II, the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade commander, called on the locals to report to proper authorities any presence of armed groups in their communities.
“We remain relentless in our military operations and we won’t allow another siege that displaced thousands of constituents in our area of operations, to happen,” Cuerpo said.
Brig. Gen. Generoso Ponio, the Army’s 1st Infantry Division and Joint Task Force Zampelan (the Zamboanga Peninsula and Lanao provinces) commander, lauded the troops for the neutralization of the terrorist and recovery of war materiel.
“Let us conquer the challenges ahead of us and step up the momentum in sustaining our gains for our common aspiration,” Ponio said.