Philippine government troops patrolling
in Jolo town, in Sulu province off Mindanao, on Jan 22, 2019. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
MANILA - Philippines security forces
have killed at least eight militants in an assault on a jungle lair in the
volatile south where a Singaporean terrorist was believed to be hiding.
Major-General Cirilito Sobejana,
commander of the 6th Infantry Division, told reporters that the Singaporean,
Muhamad Ali Abdul Rahiman alias Muawiyah, was among the "high-value
targets" inside the camp on war-torn Mindanao island.
But Muawiyah apparently survived and
managed to flee.
The camp appeared to be the main base of
a faction of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) that government
troops overran early on Sunday (Feb 3) morning.
A 226kg bomb was dropped on the main
fortification inside the camp, in Sultan sa Barongis town in Maguindanao
province, where Muawiyah and six other foreign terrorists - two Malaysians, two
Indonesians and two "Middle Eastern-looking" men - were believed to
have been housed, Maj-Gen Sobejana said.
Referring to Muawiyah, he said: "We're
still pursuing them, and checking if he was among those hit by the bomb."
He said the bodies of eight militants
were recovered after the camp was seized.
The BIFF is a splinter group of the
12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the main secessionist group that
has signed a peace pact with the government.
The BIFF has pursued a more hardline
approach, pledging allegiance to the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and
Syria (ISIS).
Full news: The Straits Times Asia – 3
February 2019
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