ARMY soldiers raided a hideout of an Islamic state–linked group in Marawi City Wednesday dawn and killed its leader who the military said is the new ISIS Emir in Southeast Asia.
Col. Billy de la Rosa, 103rd Infantry Brigade assistant commander said Faharudin Hadji Satar also known as Abu Zacaria was killed by army soldiers who raided his hideout in Barangay Bangon, Marawi City at 1:30 am Wednesday after a 10-minute exchange of gunfire.
The suspect threw an improvised bomb (60mm mortar) and two hand grenades at the operating troops. The clearing operation of the subject’s safe house lasted until 2:30 am. Troopers seized two M16A1 rifles and ammunition in the area.
The military said Zacaria was named the ISIS emir of Southeast Asia following the death of Owayda Benito Marahombsar or Abu Dar then the ISIS emir who was killed by army soldiers in Lanao del Sur in March 2019.
De la Rosa said Zacaria was killed along with a companion identified as Abu Morshid also a well-known militant of the ISIS-Dawlah Islamiyah group in Lanao del Sur.
He said troops seized a small cache of improvised explosive devices from one of the rooms of the apartment building the group rented in Barangay Bangon.
De la Rosa said Zacaria and Morshid fought back by throwing a 60mm mortar improvised explosive device and two grenades at the raiding party led by Army Task Force Marawi.
An Army soldier identified as Private First Class Chrismar Tungpalal was wounded as Zacaria and his companion engaged the soldiers for ten minutes.
De la Rosa said two M16 rifles were recovered from Zacaria and Morshid.
Drieza Liningding, a leader of the Marawi Consensus group said they woke up Wednesday morning to the sight of Army soldiers backed by armored personnel tanks searching for militants in the village of barangay Bangon.
“The entire village of barangay Bangon is on lockdown. There are soldiers everywhere,” Liningding said in a phone interview Wednesday morning.
Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra said the lockdown was lifted by Wednesday noon after the army soldiers were satisfied that no companions of Zacaria were able to escape.
He asked Marawi residents to remain calm adding the army and police are on top of the situation.
De La Rosa said they monitored the movements of Zacaria leaving the main group of militants two weeks ago after the clash in Marogong that resulted in the death of four militants.
He said from Marogong, they monitored Zacaria moving to Marawi City to rent a two-room apartment in Barangay Bangon where the military decided to arrest him Wednesday dawn.
“Our efforts were aided by former ISIS militants who helped us identity Zacaria,” De La Rosa said.
Thousands of residents fled from Marogong town two weeks ago after Zacaria aired a threat over the radio that the militants would seize the town.
The Philippine Army is currently on full alert, clearing the area and putting it on lockdown as the Marawi City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office recovers the bodies. (With reports from John Peps M. Dales, MSU-Marawi Campus Intern)
