Philippines security forces killed 10 suspected Muslim militants on Friday in what officials described as the deadliest clash so far this year in the country’s south, where troops continue to confront remnants of a weakened separatist insurgency.
Years of secessionist conflict in the southern Philippines—home to a minority Muslim population in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation—eased significantly in 2014 after the largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, signed a peace agreement granting Muslim autonomy.
However, several smaller armed factions that declined to join the peace process have continued to carry out intermittent guerrilla attacks in pursuit of a separate Islamic state.
The latest encounter erupted when suspected members of the Dawlah Islamiya-Maute group opened fire on police and army personnel attempting to serve arrest warrants on their commander in a village in Lanao del Sur province, police Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico said.
The commander, Amerol Mangoranca, and his fighters—who had previously pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group—had been linked by the military to recent attacks, including a January ambush in nearby Lanao del Norte that left four soldiers dead.
Mangoranca and nine other suspected militants, among them four women, were killed in the hour-long firefight in Marantao village, according to Morico and military officials. Authorities reported no casualties among government forces.
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“Our forces have delivered a decisive blow, and operations will continue until lasting peace is ensured,” said Army 1st Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Yegor Rey Barroquillo Jr. “This is justice for every fallen soldier, every grieving family, and every community affected by terror.” Security forces recovered four rifles, a pistol, a grenade and components for improvised explosives from the scene, officials said.
An infant discovered at the site of the clash received medical attention, though the military did not provide further details. The 2014 peace agreement significantly reduced decades of sporadic violence that had claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced rural populations, and hindered development in a resource-rich yet impoverished region.
Separately, the Philippine military continues its campaign against a long-running communist insurgency, which has also weakened in recent years due to battlefield losses, internal divisions, and increasing surrenders.
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