AT LEAST 36 members of the terrorist Maute Group were killed after government troops overran their encampment after three days of fighting in Piagapo Complex, Lanao del Sur.
Three soldiers were wounded in the fighting.
Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, spokesman of the Army’s 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division, said among those killed were two foreign nationals, one of them an Indonesian.
Troops were still recovering the bodies of Maute members killed during the fighting in the trenches of Sitio Pagalungan, Barangay Gacap.
Sporadic fight continued into Monday, but military officials said their forces overwhemed the terrorists, most of whom fled in different directions.
Brig. Gen. Nixon Fortes, commander of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade of the 1st Tabak Division, said troops overran the Maute Group’s main camp consisting of 100 fortified bunkers and fighting positions and several trenches at the ridges of Sitio Pagalungan.
Herrera said a Philippine flag was raised at the former Maute camp signifying government’s control over the area.
Herrera said the death of 36 Maute members is considered a major defeat for the group, which has been terrorizing the community in Lanao del Sur and other nearby areas.
Government troops found fragmentation and rifle grenades, improvised explosive devices, cellphones, a video camera, assorted uniforms, three motorcycles, food stuffs and the passport of an Indonesian national.
“The government forces, local government units, and the communities will continue to work hand in hand to thwart banditry and terroristic activities and to ensure security, peace and development in Piagapo and adjacent municipalities,” said Army 1st Tabak Infantry Division commander Brig. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista.
Bautista said troops pounded the terrorist camp with artillery fire to flush out the terrorists, forcing them to break up into smaller groups.
As the terrorists were running out from the camp, attack helicopters fired rockets at them, killing dozens of fleeing Maute fighters.
The massive strike on the Maute Group came after residents of Balindong and Piagapo villages told military officials that they were recruiting teenagers at Barangay Tampo.
“The success is the result of a nonstop collaboration and partnership with the military, LGUs and populace in the collective battle against terrorism, banditry and criminality,” Bautista said.