MANILA: Government security forces supported by artillery and helicopters have seized a pro-Daesh militant stronghold in the southern Philippines following a series of running skirmishes with extremists.
Three members of the radical Maute group were killed and three soldiers wounded in the attack, an army spokesman said on Friday.
Fighting broke out a few days after the historic plebiscite on the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which offers greater autonomy to the Philippines’ Muslim minority.
Col. Romeo Brawner, Jr., the 103rd Infantry Brigade commander, said fighting erupted between troops and remnants of the Maute group early on Thursday in Sultan Dumalondong, Lanao del Sur, about 50 km from Marawi City.
The city was the site of the bloody five-month siege by militants in 2017.
Residents in nearby communities were told to stay calm and remain indoors during more than 10 hours of skirmishing.
The attack on Thursday followed a relentless campaign by security forces against the militants in recent months.
“We acted on the information reported by residents and local chief executives,” the army said in a statement.
“The enemy was taken by surprise, but we met fierce resistance as soon as we hit their final defensive lines,” the statement read.
Brawner said the group had been hiding in the Lanao del Sur hinterland where they were familiar with the terrain.
“Despite the enemy’s knowledge of the terrain, accurate supporting fire allowed our troops to gain ground and penetrate their defensive lines,” said Brawner.
Fire support by artillery and helicopters forced the extremists to retreat into their bunkers.
The militant stronghold made use of trenches and fortified bunkers, and a training camp was found close to the terrorists’ defensive lines.
“After massive information dissemination, people are aware of the destruction wrought by these violent extremists,” Brawner said. “People now willingly give out information to government troops to rid their communities of terrorists.”
“With the support we are receiving from the populace, we are liberating communities from the influence of the Maute group,” he added.
Brawner said the militants were no longer capable of mounting large-scale attacks, but could still stage “spoiling attacks” to make their presence felt.
“We expect the terrorist group to attack indiscriminately, targeting Muslim and Christian communities alike,” he said.
Sustained military operations will be a cornerstone in the government’s campaign against militants.
“We will weaken their will to fight — either through lethal or non-lethal means,” Brawner said.
Troops seize jungle hideout after clashes with pro-Daesh fighters in Philippines
Troops seize jungle hideout after clashes with pro-Daesh fighters in Philippines
- Three members of the radical Maute group were killed and three soldiers wounded in the attack
- Fighting broke out a few days after the historic plebiscite on the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which offers greater autonomy to the Philippines’ Muslim minority
58 still in hospital following New Year Swiss bar blaze
- Over half of those wounded in the fire in the ski resort of Crans-Montana are in hospital
- 21 injured people were still in Swiss hospitals, including 12 in Lausanne and eight in Zurich
GENEVA: A total of 58 people are still in hospital following the deadly inferno that engulfed a Swiss bar during New Year celebrations, Switzerland’s Keystone-ATS news agency reported Tuesday.
Nearly eight weeks on from the tragedy that killed 41 people and injured 115 others, just over half of those wounded in the fire in the ski resort of Crans-Montana are in hospital.
The National Network for Disaster Medicine told ATS that as of Monday, 21 injured people were still in Swiss hospitals, including 12 in Lausanne and eight in Zurich, two of whom are still in intensive care.
Nine others were in rehabilitation clinics, including eight in Sion, capital of the southwestern Wallis region where Crans-Montana is situated.
A further 28 patients are still receiving treatment abroad: 14 in France, eight in Italy, four in Germany and two in Belgium. Those 28 include 11 Swiss nationals.
Le Constellation, a bar in upscale Crans-Montana, caught fire in the early hours of January 1. Those killed were mostly teenagers; 20 of them were minors.
Prosecutors believe the fire started when champagne bottles with sparklers attached were raised too close to the ceiling in the bar’s basement level, igniting the sound insulation foam.
While those suffering the lightest injuries were discharged in the days immediately following the blaze, on January 5, a total of 83 people were still in hospital.
The bar’s owners, French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are under criminal investigation, facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
Two others are also under criminal investigation: Crans-Montana’s current head of public safety and a former fire safety officer in the town.
Meanwhile former Swiss president Doris Leuthard will head the Beloved Foundation, set up in response to the “outpouring of solidarity” following the tragedy, the Wallis cantonal government said Tuesday.
“The foundation’s primary goal is to provide financial assistance to the bereaved families of the deceased, all those injured, their directly-affected relatives,” plus the firefighters and first responders who dealt with the disaster, it said.
The foundation will also support eventual memorial projects.
Wallis canton has put forward an initial one million Swiss francs ($1.3 million) out of a planned 10 million donation. In total, around 17 million francs have been pledged to the foundation.
