Army sees more IS men to surrender after death of leader
COTABATO CITY—The Army command in Central Mindanao is expecting to see more local affiliates of the Islamic State (IS) terror network to surrender following the killing of Daulah Islamiyah (DI)-Hassan Group leader Ustadz Mohammad Usman Solaiman on Sunday.
Lt. Col. Ronald Suscano, spokesperson for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said they were expecting that the fall of Solaiman, who led the group since 2022, would further tighten the screw against the remaining band of terrorists in the region.
“Their world has become smaller. And now, they are without a leader,” Suscano said in an interview with dwDD, a radio station run by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The Army, he added, hopes to wrap up its pursuit of the group before year-end.
Suscano said Solaiman was not accompanied by a group of armed followers when soldiers of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade pursued him in Satan village in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur.
“That was an indication that the group was already losing adherents through earlier surrenders, and that they were on their own, dependent on their respective families to hide them from authorities,” he said.
Suscano added that Solaiman’s whereabouts were pieced from information shared by his followers who had surrendered to authorities.
He said that Solaiman, known as “Baby Bungos” and “Kikay,” had the option to surrender but he missed this chance, hence the launch of the military operation.
Securing communities
Even then, the Philippine National Police on Tuesday placed its units in Central and Western Mindanao regions on alert for possible retaliatory attacks.
“Our personnel on the ground maintain high level of alert and continuously strengthen defensive position to deter any possible retaliatory attack while also ensuring the safety and security of the civilian population in coordination with the [AFP],” acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement.
“I urge the public to remain calm and immediately inform authorities if you have information about these lawless elements or other local terror groups,” Nartatez added.
In a separate statement, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mindanao (BARMM) police called on the remaining members of terror groups in the region to return to surrender and rebuild their lives.
“The government stands ready to assist those who choose to reintegrate and begin a new life away from violence for the sake of their families and communities,” it said.
