Connect with us

Headline

Death toll on terrorists in Lanao Sur rising; Army pushes offensives

Published

on

Philippine Army troopers (Facebook photo)

Philippine Army troopers (Facebook photo)

COTABATO CITY – The death toll in the military campaign against a terrorist group in Lanao del Sur rose to 37 as the Army pressed its offensive against the group which pledged allegiance to an international terrorist group.

Colonel Roseller Murillo, commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, told DXMS-AM Radyo Bida the number of fatalities could even go higher as the military intensified its offensive in the mountains of Butig, Lanao del Sur.

Murillo said the same group was also blamed for destroying vital transmission lines of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines in Lanao provinces.

online pharmacy buy bimatoprost with best prices today in the USA

He said the Maute brothers, which has about 300 armed followers, first harassed government forces securing a village captured by soldiers following skirmishes last February.

Fighting is still raging in Barangay Ragayan in Butig, with the military using its air assets to flush out the armed men deep into the forest.

Murillo said the group was behind the beheading of two innocent civilians before the fighting erupted last week.

He said the group was engaged in extortion and kidnapping of six persons working in a sawmill in Iligan City.

Involved in the operation were elements of 5th Mechanized Infantry Battalion and 51st Infantry Battalion backed by two helicopter gunships and OV-10 bomber planes.

“We cannot say when this operation will end but as long as there are terrorists in the villages of Butig, our operation will continue,” he said.

Murillo said two soldiers were killed while nine others were injured in the ongoing firefight. Killed were Private First Class Danilo Allaga at Mark Ferdinand Ortaliza.

The skirmishes forced about 2,000 individuals to flee from Barangay Ragayan and nearby villages.

Maharlanny Alonto, Lanao del Sur provincial social welfare officer said the displaced families were from the villages of Coloyan, Samer, Bayabao, Poctan, Raya Timbab and Sandab.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) emergency unit had already sent relief aid to affected families.

ARMM Vice Gov. Al-Rashid Alonto Lucman said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is also coming to provide assistance to the evacuees.

online pharmacy buy ivermectin with best prices today in the USA

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maria in Vancouver

Lifestyle2 days ago

How To Do Christmas & Hanukkah This Year

Christmas 2024 is literally just around the corner! Here in Vancouver, we just finished celebrating Taylor Swift’s last leg of...

Lifestyle4 weeks ago

Nobody Wants This…IRL (In Real Life)

Just like everyone else who’s binged on Netflix series, “Nobody Wants This” — a romcom about a newly single rabbi...

Lifestyle1 month ago

Family Estrangement: Why It’s Okay

Family estrangement is the absence of a previously long-standing relationship between family members via emotional or physical distancing to the...

Lifestyle3 months ago

Becoming Your Best Version

By Matter Laurel-Zalko As a woman, I’m constantly evolving. I’m constantly changing towards my better version each year. Actually, I’m...

Lifestyle3 months ago

The True Power of Manifestation

I truly believe in the power of our imagination and that what we believe in our lives is an actual...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

DECORATE YOUR HOME 101

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Our home interiors are an insight into our brains and our hearts. It is our own collaboration...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

Guide to Planning a Wedding in 2 Months

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Are you recently engaged and find yourself in a bit of a pickle because you and your...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Staying Cool and Stylish this Summer

By Matte Laurel-Zalko I couldn’t agree more when the great late Ella Fitzgerald sang “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Ageing Gratefully and Joyfully

My 56th trip around the sun is just around the corner! Whew. Wow. Admittedly, I used to be afraid of...

Maria in Vancouver6 months ago

My Love Affair With Pearls

On March 18, 2023, my article, The Power of Pearls was published. In that article, I wrote about the history...