Troops battle 40 ISIS men
By Bonita Ermac
ILIGAN CITY – Joint Task Force Ranao deputy commander Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., has confirmed the troops have encountered the group of Maute-ISIS remnants – around 40 armed men – Sunday in the vicinity of the towns of Tubaran and Pagayawan in Lanao del Sur.
The Maute-ISIS remnants was led by its new leader Owayda Benito Marohombsar alyas Abu Dar was positively cited in the area.
He was one of the 10 leaders who planned the attack in Marawi last year. The video footage of their group planning the attack was recovered by the military from the laptop of the militants left at Isnilon Hapilon’s apartment in Barangay Basak Malutlut in Marawi at the start of the firefight.
He has been in the terror wanted list of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which has a P3,000,000 bounty on his head. He is said to be the appointed emir (leader) of the Islamic State in Southeast Asia replacing Abu Sayaff leader Isnilon Hapilon who was killed in the five-month war in Marawi.