TWO soldiers were killed while another survived in an ambush staged by the Dawlah Islamiya-Maute Group (DI-MG) in Lanao del Sur, the military said Thursday, January 4, 2023.
The 1st Infantry Division (ID) said the ambush happened in Lininding village, Piagapo, Lanao del Sur on Wednesday, January 3.
The 1ID said the three soldiers were traveling to the municipality of Munai, Lanao del Norte when they were ambushed by a group of DI-MG terrorists.
Two of the three soldiers were killed while the other one managed to escape and reported the incident to a nearby military detachment.
The 1ID did not identify the slain soldier or the survivor, except to state that they belonged to the Army’s 51st Infantry Battalion.
The 1ID said the DI-MG terrorists carted away the slain soldiers' belongings including two service sidearms with ammunition, two cellular phones and two wallets containing money.
The remains of the two slain soldiers were retrieved by troops of the 51IB and were brought to a funeral parlor in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte.
Meanwhile, Major General Gabriel Viray III, 1ID commander, expressed his deep sadness at the ambush on the troops of the 51IB.
“The 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division strongly condemns this cowardly act of violence and expresses its deepest condolences to the families of our fallen soldiers,” Viray said. (SunStar Zamboanga)