FOUR people, two soldiers and two Daesh-inspired Maute followers, were killed while another soldier was wounded in a firefight in the hinterlands of Lanao del Sur, military officials said Tuesday, March 12.
Colonel Romeo Brawner, Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade commander, said the firefight broke out around 4:20 p.m. Monday in Calaludan village, Pagayawan town.
Brawner said the clash ensued while the troops were responding to the report of the residents about the presence of some 22 Maute gunmen under the group of Owaida Marohombsar alias Abu Dar.
He said the clash resulted to the death of four people, including two Maute members who were identified only through their aliases, namely Abu Tahir and Abu Jihad.
Brawner did not release the names of the two slain and one wounded soldier except that they belong to the Army’s 55th Infantry Battalion.
He said the troops also recovered one carbine rifle and lower receiver of an M-16 Armalite rifle abandoned by the Maute group.
“We are sustaining our focused military operation in order to destroy the remnants of this group (DI-Lanao) and make the province free from terrorist,” he said.
Brigadier General Roberto Ancan extends his deepest sympathies to the bereaved families and friends of the fallen soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in protecting the people from the terrorist group.
“Their sacrifices were borne out of their dedication to protect the Meranaos in pursuit of peace and development,” Ancan added.
He said that additional troops were deployed to pursue the fleeing Maute remnants as well as to ensure the safety and security of the local populace in the area. (SunStar Philippines)