A MEMBER of the Daulah Islamiyah (DI) terror group was killed while two others were captured following a clash Saturday, July 18, 2021, that injured a soldier in the province of Maguindanao, military officials announced.
Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan, Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said the clash broke out around 8 a.m. Saturday in Nabundas village, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao.
Vinluan said the clash ensued as the troops of the 33rd Infantry Battalion (IB) launched a lightning operation against the group of DI terrorists led by Tong Bomber in Nabundas, Shariff Saydona Mustapha.
Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Cadiente, 33IB commander, said the lightning operation was in response to the reports from the community of the presence of the DI-Hassan Group in Nabundas.
“While troops were approaching the reported location of the terrorists, they were fired upon by an undetermined number of Daulah Islamiyah-Hassan Group members which forced the soldiers to retaliate,” Cadiente said.
Cadiente said the clash resulted in the death of Bomber and capture of his two followers identified as Nondo Sangalan and Tong Sangalan.
A soldier was injured and was admitted to a hospital in Sultan Kudarat.
The cadaver of the slain DI terrorist was turned over to the barangay officials of Nabundas, while the two captured terrorists were placed under the custody of the police for the filing of appropriate charges.
The troops recovered one M-14 rifle with several rounds of ammunition, three improvised explosive devices (IEDs), three handheld commercial radios, two handheld chargers, one backpack, two sling bags, one handcuff, three cellular phones, and two subscriber identification module (SIM) cards.
“This accomplishment displays the importance of the community’s participation in defeating the threat groups here in Maguindanao,” said Colonel Pedro Balisi, commander of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade.
“The strong collaboration between the military and the local government added by the support from the populace will definitely keep the communities safe, peaceful, and progressive,” Balisi added.
Major General Juvymax Uy, commander of the Joint Task Force Central, commended the troops for their prompt response that prevented the terror group to conduct atrocities in the area.
“Your actions have saved countless lives that could have been victims of the terrorists,” Uy said.
“Team Westmincom remains steadfast in eliminating all the threats in the communities. Our soldiers are out there risking their lives to hunt and pound the remaining terrorists,” Vinluan said.
“Let us continue to pray for the protection of our soldiers and everybody’s safety,” Vinluan added.
Since January 2021, Joint Task Force Central has neutralized a total of 150 local terrorists, 131 of whom are members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and 19 are members of the Daulah Islamiyah. (SunStar Zamboanga)