Army trooper, bandit slain in Lanao clash

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — An Army trooper and an alleged Maute leader were killed in an encounter between government security forces and remnants of the terrorist group in Tagoloan town, Lanao del Norte on Sunday.

Authorities identified the alleged terrorist as Hadji Rasol Mambuay, alias Mercury, while the trooper’s identity is withheld until after his family is notified.

The government security forces reportedly recovered from Mambuay’s group an M16 rifle, a hand grenade, ammunition, two handheld radios and bomb-making materials, according to Capt. Clint Antipala, acting public affairs officer of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division.

Reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo said a team composed of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, the local police force and the National Bureau of Investigation clashed with the remnants of the Daulah Islamiyah at the boundary of Barangays Malimbato and Upper Dimayon.

The firefight, which lasted 10 minutes, followed an operation aimed at arresting Mambuay and Dianalan Dimanatang Imam, alias Papayungan, and their men who were tagged in the 2017 Marawi siege.

Antipala said Dimanatang and Mambuay’s group were members of the Daulah Ismaliyah and Maute group that swore allegiance to the Islamic State.

The suspects managed to escape at the height of the military operation in Marawi and hid in the nearby province of Lanao del Norte.

Antipala said security forces were on their way to arrest the terrorists when the group opened fire at them, triggering a firefight.