Militants Clash with Troops in Lanao del Sur; Three Dead, Three Arrested
Dawlah Islamiya-Maute Group Members Fired on Arrest Warrant Team
A pre-dawn operation in Lanao del Sur turned violent as police and military forces engaged members of the Dawlah Islamiya-Maute Group. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of three militants and the apprehension of three others, including a woman.
Deadly Raid in Lumbayanague
A joint police and military team attempted to serve arrest warrants on five key leaders of the militant organization in Barangay Lamin, Lumabayanague. According to Brigadier General **Billy de la Rosa**, commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, the suspects opened fire from a cluster of houses.
The operation targeted individuals with outstanding warrants for murder and homicide issued by the Regional Trial Court in Marawi. These warrants carried no recommended bail, underscoring the severity of the charges.
Brigadier General **de la Rosa** praised the troops, stating, “The decisive outcome with no civilian casualties despite that the target area was populated is a testament to the professionalism and discipline of all operating army and police troops.”
Suspects Identified and Weapons Recovered
Following the exchange of gunfire, authorities confirmed the fatalities of three suspects: **Mohammad Nasif Pangandama** (alias **Anwar Rahman**), **Rahma**, and **Abdullah Midtuon**. Those arrested were identified as **Fahad Sarip Maruhom** (alias **Abu Zacaria**), **Norhan Kamid** (alias **Al Wala**), and **Asnawi Abdullah**.
One soldier sustained injuries during the clash but is reportedly in stable condition. Investigators on site recovered a cache of weapons, including M16 and M4A1 rifles, a homemade M79 grenade launcher, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), hand grenades, and two black flags bearing ISIS markings.
Shifting Tactics of Local Militants
This incident comes just three months after a previous encounter on May 9, 2025, where Army troops killed **Nasser Daud**, a leader of the Daulah Islamiya-Maute Group, in Bacolod-Kalawi town. The group has been adapting its survival strategies as funding from international terror networks diminishes.
According to **Drieza Lininding**, leader of the Marawi Consensus Group, many militants are now operating in smaller, dispersed units. They are reportedly involved in illegal drug sales, arms trafficking, and acting as hired security for local politicians to generate income.
“Money from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have run dry. Most of its members are on the run or living in refugee camps in Syria. The ISIS in Lanao del Sur have to find innovative ways to survive,”
**Lininding** explained.
He also noted that certain religious scholars continue to promote ISIS-aligned ideologies, which appeal to some younger Meranaw individuals.
New Recruits and Strategic Hideouts
Brigadier General **de la Rosa** indicated that only one of the militants encountered in the recent operation was a veteran of the 2017 Marawi siege. The majority were new recruits, although some had prior run-ins with government forces.
The group had chosen Lumbayanague as a hiding place, a town adjacent to Butig, the birthplace of the Maute group that led the 2017 Marawi City siege. “So they thought they were safe there but actually there is no safe place in Lanao del Sur (for them) because we will run after them,”
**de la Rosa** affirmed.
In 2023, the Philippines ranked as the country with the third-highest number of terrorism-related fatalities in Southeast Asia, highlighting the persistent threat of extremist groups in the region (Statista, 2024).
