Army, MILF capture young ISIS fighters in South

COTABATO CITY - The Philippine military on Saturday said army troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members captured four young fighters of the local ISIS group in a rare joint operation in Lanao del Sur province in the restive Bangsamoro autonomous region, a hotbed of Muslim insurgency in the South.

Security officials said intelligence provided by the MILF led to the capture of the Dawlah Islamiya (DI) - Arabic words for "Islamic State" - fighters on Thursday evening, May 25, in Pabrika village in the town of Marugong.

It was unknown whether the military delayed the release of the information to the press due to continuing joint operation between the army and the MILF or the ongoing interrogation of the captured Islamists, two of them 18 years old and the other pair 14 and 16.

One of the fighters, Saidi, is the younger brother of DI sub-leader known by his nom de guerre Abu Sham, according to Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, commander of the Joint Task Force ZamPeLan.

"Troops of the 32nd Infantry Battalion acted on information from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front members under Esmail Cosain regarding the presence of unidentified armed men in Barangay Pabrika, Marugong, Lanao del Sur. While moving towards the target area, operating troops, composed of a platoon of soldiers and five MILF members, sighted a group of armed men. Sensing the presence of the government forces, the armed men scampered in different directions prompting the troops to execute a hasty raid," Nafarrete said.

He said the four DI fighters are all under Juhari Sandab, whose group is operating in the province. "Accordingly, they were waiting for supplies and foodstuffs coming from their supporters in the area," the officer said, adding, soldiers also seized weapons and explosives from the four fighters.

Among the seized weapons were one M14 rifle, one M16A1 rifle, one Remington R4 rifle, one M1903 Springfield rifle, M203 grenade launcher and five 40mm grenades; including five improvised explosives and assorted magazines and ammunition.

Army Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, commended Nafarrete for the capture of the four fighters and cited "the good relationship between the MILF and the military in the area, which resulted in the successful operation."

The MILF signed a peace deal with the government in 2014, but despite the accord, the members of the former rebel group are still heavily armed and continue to maintain dozens of strongholds in the region.

The DI considers the MILF a rival and branded its members as "apostate Moro militia" and declared a total war with them, according to the Middle East, Iran, South Asia, and North and West Africa (MEMRI).

MEMRI reported that members of the "Islamic State East Asia Province" (ISEAP) claimed responsibility for the May 13 attack against MIF positions with machine guns in the village of Tuayan in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan town in the neighboring province of Maguindanao causing MILF members to flee. ISEAP fighters also burned the MILF positions and seized an anti-tank rocket launcher. (Mindanao Examiner)