Two consecutive incidents that occurred in a span of three days last month proved that the Islamist cause and its violent, hateful methods are still very much with us, despite all the legal moves the government of the Philippines has done to push the peace process in Muslim-dominated areas of the country.
These were the arrest of Myrna A. Mabanza, 32, a specially designated global terrorist in the United States and included in the sanctions of the United Nations Security Council against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or the Daesh and al-Qaeda. Mabanza was arrested by Philippine military and police in Barangay Pasil, Indanan, Sulu on Feb. 15, 2024
The military identified Mabanza as having five warrants of arrest against her, in violation of the terrorism financing prevention and suppression act of 2012 and the anti-terrorism act of 2020. She is also involved in the transfer of funds with the leader of Islamic State East Asia, the late Isnilon Hapilon, and served as intermediary between Hapilon and Daesh elements in Syria.
What is of interest is that her arrest was followed by an encounter by the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the Islamist fighters of the Daulah Islamiyah-Maute Group (DI-MG) in Munai, Lanao del Norte on Feb. 18, 2024. In this clash, six AFP soldiers died and four others were wounded, while three terrorists were confirmed dead and several others were hurt. It was as if the encounter, if triggered by the Muslims, was done in retaliation for Mabanza’s arrest by the government.
The war against Muslim jihadists who are affiliated with international terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State (IS) continues without letup. In the Philippines, the most active are the members of the Daulah Islamiyah-Maute Group, the group identified by security forces as the perpetrators of the tragic bombing of the Mindanao State University (MSU) gymnasium while a Catholic mass was ongoing. The December 3, 2023 attack by the Islamist bombers killed four persons and injured some 72 others.
The 1st Infantry Division (ID) said the first clash broke out in Barangay Ramain, Munai, Lanao del Norte when the 44th Infantry Battalion launched an offensive against the Maute group. The second clash ensued when troops of the 7th Scout Ranger Company chanced upon another group of DI-MG members in Barangay Ramain but in another location. The second clash lasted for about two hours and the DI-MG fighters withdrew toward southeast, prompting a third combat group from the 8th Scout Ranger Company to send reinforcement and extricate the casualties.
Various firearms, including an M16, one M14 rifle and one M203 grenade launcher, were recovered from the place of encounter, along with the remains of one of the three slain terrorists.
While AFP chief of staff General Romeo Brawner extended his sincerest condolences to the families of the slain soldiers and “offer the AFP’s support in this very trying time,” and assured his assurance that the wounded soldiers would receive the best treatment possible for their injuries, these words and promise of assistance might be unable to fully assuage the grief felt by the dead soldiers’ families.
Deaths and injuries such as those in the MSU bombing and the Munai encounters will be repeated in the future until the government finally resolves this faith-based violence. Brawner said “our troops are motivated to finish the job and accomplish our mission of defeating local terrorist groups once and for all,” and we can only hope that he and his successors in the future will attain success.
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