GOVERNMENT troops have recovered a high-powered firearm after a brief firefight against a group of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-inspired Dawlah Islamiya (DI) in Lanao del Sur, the military reported Thursday, May 4.
The 51st Infantry Battalion (IB) said the clash happened on Tuesday afternoon, May 2, in Gadongan village, Pualas, Lanao del Sur.
Before the clash, the 51IB troopers were responding to a report that DI-Lanao leader Abu Zacariah was sighted traveling onboard a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).
The clash ensued when 10 suspected DI members opened fire while the troops were checking on the SUV parked along the road in Gadongan village, Pualas.
The 51IB said that no one among the troops were either killed or injured in the clash. The DI gunmen scampered in different directions.
The troops scoured the clash site and recovered one M-60 General Purpose Machine Gun with 140 rounds of ammunition.
“Rest assured that we will continue our deliberate efforts to clear the communities from threat groups,” Lieutenant General Roy Galido, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, said. (SunStar Zamboanga)