2 terrorists killed in encounter

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TWO Islamist terrorists were killed while two of their wounded comrades were captured in a clash with army troops in Barangay Libutan, Maguindanao del Sur, on Sunday, a ranking army officer said Monday.

Lt. Col. Roden Orbon, spokesman of the 6th Infantry Division (6ID), said the fighting occurred after elements of the 6th Infantry Battalion received a report pertaining to the presence of armed men in said village, apparently planning to sow violence in highly dense areas.

He said soldiers from the 5IB, the 33rd Infantry Battalion and other operating units under the 601st Infantry Brigade (601IB) launched military operations against the group that is identified with the Dawlah Islamiyah-Hassan Group at about 1 a.m. Sunday.

The mobilization of troops led in a gun battle that resulted in the killing of two terrorists.

In a report, the slain terrorists were identified as Tahir Salim Suweb, 41, a resident of Barangay Baka, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte and Benladin Adi kamid, 23, of Macasampen, Guindulungan, Maguindanao deo Sur.

Meanwhile, two of their comrades were arrested after being wounded in the clash. They were identified as Junjun Kayogen Leosen, 37, from Barangay Salbu, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur; and Rasul Mendoza Kariman, 31, a resident of Barangay Bagan, Guindulungan, Maguindanao del Sur.

Soldiers immediately brought the two wounded terrorists to separate public hospitals for immediate medical attention.

Recovered from the site of the encounter were two M16A1 rifles, a caliber.45 pistol, components for making an improvised explosive device (IED), an unexploded ordnance (UXO), various cell phones, a Bushnell monocular scope, a broken bipod, communication equipment, and a female clutch bag containing fake IDs.

Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu, commander of the 601IB, ordered his men to intensify the pursuit of other members of the group who fled to various directions.

"We will not stop pursuing the remaining members of this group," he said.

The group, he said, is directly linked to the killing of three businessmen from Batangas who were found dead in Barangay Nabundas, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, on May 30, and other series of robberies and killings of civilians.

"They are also the main suspects in the ambush of our troops in Datu Hoffer in March last year, which killed four of our soldiers," Catu said.

Maj. Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of 6ID and JTFC, praised the prompt response of government troops as a reason to prevent the local terrorist from planning sabotage against the people of Central Mindanao.

"Once again, we have saved many innocent civilian lives. With the prompt response of our soldiers, the plan of local terrorists to sow violence in this peaceful part of Mindanao has been thwarted. We will not give in to their intimidation. This victory is for the peace and security of our countrymen," said Gumiran.

Soldiers in Joint Task Force Central (JTFC) together with the police continue to target and pursue the remaining members of the terrorist group to completely end the threat of violence in the region.