Three remnants of the now-defunct Dawlah Islamiya were killed in an encounter with patrolling soldiers in a secluded area in Barangay Tuayan Mother, Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao del Sur on Sunday, April 26.
Local executives and traditional Moro community leaders supporting joint anti-terror operations by the police and military in Maguindanao del Sur said on Monday that the slain Dawlah Islamiya members-Rasul Moksim, Salik Bona, and Mohammad Sendig-were experts in fabricating improvised explosive devices that can be detonated remotely using mobile phones.
Lt. Col. Roland Suscano, spokesperson of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said villagers had informed military units securing Datu Hoffer and nearby towns that the three militants killed in the encounter in a secluded area in Barangay Tuayan Mother were among the gunmen who killed five policemen and wounded three others in an ambush on March 28 in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur.
Sporadic exchanges of gunfire between fleeing Dawlah Islamiya members and pursuing troops from units of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division continued until noon on Monday.
Local executives said the encounter on Sunday in Barangay Tuayan Mother erupted when the militants opened fire on soldiers sent to verify complaints from villagers about their presence in the area, where they were allegedly demanding money and rice at gunpoint.
The companions of the three slain Dawlah Islamiya members fled when they sensed that soldiers were about to encircle their location.
Villagers said they saw the fleeing militants carrying three wounded companions, identified as Salik, Mansur and Aliman.