MANILA: Philippine security forces killed the leader of a militant group supporting Daesh in a clash early on Thursday, the country’s police chief said, warning against possible retaliation.
President Rodrigo Duterte recently cautioned against Daesh taking root in the southeast Asian country, saying it needed to avoid “contamination.”
“I strongly believe that we have effectively broken the backbone of the militant Ansar Al-Khilafah Philippines (AKP),” Ronald Dela Rosa told a news conference to announce the death of the group’s leader, Mohammad Jaafar Maguid.
Three AKP colleagues of Maguid were also arrested in a police operation shortly after midnight at a resort in the southern province of Sarangani, he added.
“He is the recognized ISIS leader in that area,” Dela Rosa said, adding that Maguid, who goes by the alias “Tokboy,” was the “most wanted person” in the country’s south, sought for his involvement in crimes ranging from arson and murder to bombings.
Police recovered two armalite rifles, a hand grenade, and M-16 magazines, from Maguid and the three men, identified as Matahata Dialawe Arboleda, Ismael Sahak, and Morhaban Veloso.
The AKP and the Maute militant group, which has also pledged allegiance to Daesh, are among a handful of small groups authorities blame for years of unrest in the Philippine south.
The killing and the arrests would “momentarily weaken” the group, Dela Rosa said, but a new leader could emerge eventually and launch fresh attacks.
“We expect some retaliation from the ISIS-inspired groups,” he added. “We should expect, and we should be very vigilant against, this possible retaliation.”
Philippine security forces are on full alert ahead of Monday’s feast of the Black Nazarene in the capital Manila. It usually draws millions of devotees for a procession through the streets that runs for hours.
Philippines kills leader of Daesh-linked militant group in clash
Philippines kills leader of Daesh-linked militant group in clash
Protesters try to attack driver after truck speeds through anti-Iran demonstration in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with marchers demonstrating in support of the Iranian people, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver.
The U-Haul truck, with its side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars. ABC7 news helicopter footage showed officers keeping the crowd at bay as demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver’s side window.
The police department confirmed its officers were on the scene but didn’t immediately say if anyone was arrested.
Two people were evaluated by paramedics and both declined treatment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Several hundred people had gathered Sunday afternoon in the Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian theocracy. The LA police department eventually issued a dispersal order, and by 5 p.m. only about a hundred protesters were still at the scene, ABC7 reported.
Activists say a crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has killed more than 530 people. Protesters flooded the streets in Iran’s capital of Tehran and its second-largest city again Sunday.
