Dawlah remnants linked to fatal ambush of 2 women joggers in Lanao del Norte

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April 24, 2026 | 5:11pm

COTABATO CITY — Army and police intelligence officials are investigating assertions that remnants of the now-defunct Dawlah Islamiya were behind the fatal ambush of two women who were jogging along a highway in Barangay Muntay, Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte on Tuesday morning, April 21.

The incident was reportedly preceded by the circulation of text messages in the municipality from remaining members of the now-defunct Dawlah Islamiya, threatening to attack women jogging in public places while wearing shorts or tight-fitting jogging pants as a form of punishment.

Gunmen armed with pistols shot and killed joggers Grace Ajim and Christine Caluyong in Barangay Muntay on Tuesday morning. The victims, who were wearing shorts, died at the scene. Two others were wounded as they managed to escape.

Local executives and traditional Maranao leaders supporting joint police and military peacekeeping operations in Lanao del Norte said on Friday that remnants of Dawlah Islamiya may be attempting to project that they remain capable of carrying out attacks to intimidate merchants and bus operators into paying “protection money” on a regular basis.

Officials of the Lanao del Norte Provincial Police Office also confirmed that Ajim and Caluyong died instantly from gunshot wounds sustained in the attack.

Barangay officials told reporters that Ajim and Caluyong were ambushed by two men armed with pistols along a stretch of highway in Purok 3, Barangay Muntay, a residential area in Kolambugan.

The suspects, whose images were captured by security cameras in nearby establishments, immediately fled after shooting Ajim and Caluyong.

They also shot and wounded two other women, Cheris Hope Ajim and Betty Alaban, who were along the roadside a few meters away. The suspects are now the subject of a joint police and military manhunt.