Militants got close to 20 meters in Lanao clash

Source: MindaNews

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 22 February) -- The Dawlah Islamiyah militants managed to creep up to 20 meters of the soldiers of the 44th Infantry Battalion in their attack in the mountains of Lanao del Norte on Sunday, dealing a heavy blow to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a military official said.

The ensuing clash on Feb. 18 in the municipality of Munai resulted in the killing of six soldiers and wounding of four others, the military said, adding that three militants were also killed as responding Scout Rangers reinforced the beleaguered soldiers and extricated the casualties.

The military said the 15-man team, along with the Scout Ranger reinforcement teams, were hunting the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group responsible for the December 3 bombing of a Catholic Mass inside the Mindanao State University campus in Marawi City.

A military officer who declined to be identified said the team attacked by the militants was led by a young officer who was new to the rugged terrain of Munai town.

"The team rested after their long hike and they failed to spread out as they should have. The militants who were shadowing them took advantage of that mistake," the officer told MindaNews.

Armed Forces Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr. seconded the officer's statement, saying the Army unit that got caught in the brunt of the fighting did not observe proper "techniques, tactics and procedures " that resulted to the loss of lives.

"The troops miscalculated. Proper techniques, tactics and procedures were not followed," Brawner told reporters during his visit at the headquarters of the Army's 4th Infantry "Diamond" Division here on Wednesday.

Major General Gabriel Viray III, commander of the Army's 1st "Tabak" Division, said three Scout Ranger teams were sent to reinforce the soldiers in Munai.

Brawner first went to the 1ID headquarters in Camp Sang-an, Labangan town in Zamboanga del Sur on Tuesday to pay respects to the six soldiers killed in the fighting.

He later hopped to Kampo Ranao in Marawi City and was given a briefing by Brig. Gen. Yeger Rey Barroquillo Jr., commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade.

"We should not be disheartened by this. We should continue the hunt against the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group," Brawner told reporters in Cagayan de Oro.

He said he is not relieving Barroquillo of his command but will continue supporting him in the hunt against the militants.

"I am giving him another chance to prove his worth," Brawner said.

Brawner said they consider the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group as a spent force with only 40 militants operating in the boundaries of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte.

He said the hunt against the group started after the bombing at the MSU in Marawi, and the soldiers were able to kill 18 militants, including the alleged mastermind, Khadafi Mimbesa alias "the Engineer." (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)